Always in Motion: If You Love Me
by jmsbndgrl
Summary: Sequel to Always in Motion. ObiWan Kenobi has fallen to the dark side and become Darth Avarik. Can he be saved? How will the galaxy fair with him as the Emperor's second in command?
1. Prologue

**Always in Motion: If You Love Me**

**Summary:** The Sequel to Always in Motion. Is there any hope for the galaxy after the rise of the Sith? Is Obi-Wan Kenobi gone, consumed by Darth Avarik? Can he find his way back towards the light?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Star Wars. I'm just borrowing George Lucas' characters for a bit. Aila is mine and has come out to play with George's characters. There will be a couple other original characters (that are mine) too, but I am not ready to announce them yet.

* * *

**Prologue:**

"_Obi-Wan, I love you." _Darth Avarik clenched his eyes shut as he was assailed with another painful memory from that agonizing night on Mustafar. He had used his Force abilities to knock Aila, his wife, out until he had dealt with Anakin. No harm was to come to her, but fate had other ideas.

Avarik had not been strong enough to best his former apprentice in a duel. His failure had led to the grievous injuries he had sustained and the loss of the love of his life. He had trusted his former apprentice to take care of his wife, but Anakin's allegiance had been to the Jedi Order and he seemed to have no problem in ending Aila's life.

Avarik pounded his fist into the wall of the Star Destroyer he was on, startling the crew onboard. A large dent was evident in the wall from his show of aggression. Avarik had used his left hand, his good hand, to pummel the wall. A normal man would have felt great pain from such an impact, but the Sith Lord was too consumed with the tragedy in his life to notice. He had felt great pain at the loss of his legs and right arm on Mustafar, but no agony was more intense than the loss of his beloved wife. Avarik's grief overrode any pain he attempted to inflict on himself.

The crew of the Star Destroyer scurried away from the Sith, intent on not falling victim to his wrath. The Emperor's second in command had a very short temper and had made that known in the few days he had been onboard the ship. The dark figure had killed five crewmembers since coming onboard, two for ineptitude and three for smiling. No one onboard the Star Destroyer was sure what the Sith had against the expression of joy and happiness, but all quickly learned to keep their expressions neutral in his presence.

One week ago, Darth Avarik would have seen nothing wrong with a show of happiness. It was about that time he had announced to his wife that the Clone Wars had ended. After her initial shock faded and he witnessed the happiness this news evoked in her, Avarik knew that was all he needed to justify his actions. However, he would never feel her joy again. The Jedi had ensured that.

Avarik shut his eyes once more as his pain and grief threatened to overwhelm him. He knew he could not show weakness to the crew so he quickly moved to a more secluded area.

In a deserted strategy room, Avarik locked himself inside so that he could allow tears to fall from his eyes. He walked to a nearby viewport in order to gaze at something that would take his mind off his tragedy. However, all he saw was the emptiness of space, an emptiness that mimicked the feelings within his heart and soul. To make matters worse, he could vividly recall the words that instigated his anguish:

"_Where is Aila? Is she safe? Is she all right?"_

"_It seems that in his escape, young Skywalker killed her."_

"Noooo!" Avarik shouted, the same as he had on the day he heard the news. He had destroyed the medical wing where he had received treatment for his injuries, but today he just collapsed to his knees as he wept for the loss of his wife. "Why Anakin? Why Aila?" Avarik stated to himself as he clenched his hands in fists. He had not thought his former apprentice would be capable of such a heinous act, but he had seen evidence that showed otherwise.

Avarik had always considered Anakin to be like a brother, but apparently Anakin's allegiance to the Jedi Order was stronger than their bond. The treacherous Jedi Council had tried to harm Aila from the first day Avarik had brought her to Coruscant. They had failed in every attempt until they sent Anakin to finish the job.

Avarik should have known his former apprentice would align himself with the Jedi, he was a Master on their Council, and had sworn to uphold their ideals and decisions. Avarik had been foolish to believe that Anakin would remain loyal to him and foolish to believe the lies his former friend told to show his false loyalty. The Jedi Council had tainted Anakin and turned him against his former mentor.

The Jedi Order may have corrupted his former student, but Avarik knew Anakin could have chosen not to kill Aila. Aila was an innocent and did not deserve to die. She should have been standing by his side at this very moment.

Avarik wiped away the tears from his eyes with his good hand and stood up as he regained his composure. He gazed once more at the blackness of space. The Jedi Order had already paid the price for their crimes against him and his wife, and Avarik would ensure that any survivors would be hunted down and destroyed for the pain they had caused him. Although he had already tracked down and killed a few survivors, he intended to focus his search on one rogue Jedi and his family.

Anakin Skywalker would rue the day he decided to betray his former master. Avarik would ensure Skywalker felt the same pain he did at losing his loved ones. Skywalker's family would be hunted and killed; Padmé in retaliation for Aila's death and then Luke and Leia for the children Avarik would never have. When he was finished, Avarik would ensure that Skywalker felt the same lonely despair he felt at the loss of Aila and the future he could have had with her. He would relish in Skywalker's pain and have it feed his own power before finally ending the life of his betrayer.


	2. Ch 1: The Pieces of a Jedi

**Chapter 1: The Pieces of a Jedi**

The snow was falling outside and Aila had positioned herself so that she was seated beside a window to watch the snow drift as a storm came through the area. She was seated in the main entryway of what had been her home. Technically, the house was still her "home," but without Obi-Wan around it did not feel like it. Aila's parents were cleaning up after dinner, both worried about their daughter's well being.

Aila had contacted her parents shortly after Anakin abandoned her on her home world and they immediately rushed to her side. They could tell by the agonized grief in her voice that something was wrong. The absence of their son-in-law upon their arrival, seemed to tell the story.

"What happened?" Aila's mother asked, hugging her daughter tightly. "Where is Obi-Wan?"

A sob escaped Aila and she buried her head in her mother's shoulder at the sound of her husband's name. The wave of despair influenced her to disobey Anakin's instructions and she opened up her Force bond in an attempt to feel her husband. However, all she felt was nothingness and she knew the worst had happened. "He's been killed." Aila whispered before allowing the tears to fall unbidden from her eyes.

* * *

Aila's parents did their best to console their daughter during this difficult time. They knew this time of the year was going to make Obi-Wan's passing especially difficult. It was Christmas time and Obi-Wan and Aila's wedding anniversary was approaching.

Aila's parents would have spent the holiday with their daughter regardless of the circumstances, but they would not stray to far from Aila in her grief stricken state. They had considered taking Aila to their home, thinking a change in scenery would help, but their daughter refused. Although Obi-Wan and Aila had spent very little time in this home, they had still been there together and although she knew it was silly, knowing that Obi-Wan had once walked the halls of this house made her feel a connection to him.

Aila's parents reluctantly agreed to their daughter's decision, but questioned it after she showed signs of illness. Two weeks after her arrival home, Aila would frequently feel nauseous and lethargic. Her parents figured it was all related to their daughter's grief. As the symptoms got worse over time, they urged their daughter to see a doctor to get something to help her through the illness, but Aila refused. However, nothing seemed to sway Aila's decision as she stubbornly refused to leave her house. As a result, her parents did all they could to care for their daughter and attempt to bring some festive cheer amidst the mournful atmosphere.

* * *

Staring out at the falling snow, Aila wiped away tears as her mind recalled events from long ago. Although there was no sign of it now, to the right of her house was a spot where a lost Jedi Knight had crashed his starfighter and changed her life forever. He had been the great Jedi of legend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, defender of the Galactic Republic. However, his meeting of her, Aila, seemed to warp that persona.

Aila had tried to not show him the Star Wars movies, scared of what would happen if he knew what was to come. Those fears were not unjustified, her beloved husband had turned to the dark side and now as she opened her Force bond to feel nothingness again, she knew he was dead.

She silently berated herself for trusting Chancellor Len Itappa. She could not forgive herself for not seeing he was actually the Sith Lord in disguise. Itappa had been a constant presence in their lives for years and was able to twist Obi-Wan's perception of the Jedi and galaxy around until he finally snapped.

The Jedi Council had not helped to prevent Obi-Wan's fall, but facilitated its progression. Had her husband not hidden his actions from her she would have done all she could to help him. However, he had resigned himself to living a life of secrets until they tore him apart. Now all Aila had left were the memories of her husband and a few marks on her skin as a result of his demise.

Aila had suffered what looked like a light sunburn to her chest and back and a ring of angry welts on her knees and right shoulder as a result of her Force bond with Obi-Wan. She had felt the injuries he had suffered at Anakin's hand as well as receiving a visual manifestation of those wounds.

The sunburn like injury on her chest and back was gone, but the marks on her shoulder and knees still remained although they were fading with each passing day. Aila had not shown her parents her injuries because she knew they would have rushed her to a hospital and she did not want to be fussed over. Besides, she doubted any doctor would understand that the wounds were caused by a Force bond with her husband since the ways of the Force were not taught in medical schools on Earth.

The marks on her skin were just another reminder that her husband was gone. However, sitting in front of a window of her house meant that at the moment she did not have to look at them.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber was resting in her lap and she absently ran her fingers over it as she tore her eyes away from the drifting snow and gazed at her diamond engagement ring. Inset against the diamond were two stones taken from the Adegan crystal residing in that lightsaber. Although it was difficult for Aila to wrap her mind around the thought, deep down she felt that Obi-Wan's fall started the day he made her that ring.

It had been Christmas morning when he had made that ring, just a few hours after they had finished watching Star Wars Episode III. Aila could still remember the trepidation she felt at showing Obi-Wan the movies and felt another intense wave of grief and self disgust wash over her. She had initially avoided showing Obi-Wan the films with the thought that it could cause more harm than good, but her love for him and his pleas to her had changed her mind. She had let him watch the movies and in doing so set him on the path to his destruction. Upon reflection, Aila realized the two crystals in her ring, broken from the larger one in his lightsaber in a way showed the start of Obi-Wan's descent to darkness.

No longer was her husband the Jedi Knight of legend that the movies showed, for he was changed by a mere glimpse into a possible future. She had inadvertently shattered her husband's world by setting him on the path to stop his padawan's fall to darkness. Although Obi-Wan did manage to save his apprentice, he could not fight the allure of the dark side and fell victim to the lies of the Sith.

"I'm sorry." Aila mumbled to herself, her eyes scrunching in pain. She blamed herself for had she not shown Obi-Wan the films, he might not have fallen to the dark side. Additionally, although she loved him dearly, had she not married him he might have stayed on the path of the Jedi. No matter how she looked at it she was a major factor in her husband's destruction and she felt incredibly guilty for it.

"Obi-Wan, I love you! I'm sorry." She sobbed out loud, burying her face in her hands. Her loud outcry was heard by her mother and father her both ran to her side.

"Aila! Talk to me, let me help you." Aila's mother stated coming to kneel beside Aila, trying to gently move her daughter's face so she could look her in the eyes.

"Let both of us help you." Aila's father replied softly, his own heart breaking at the sight of his daughter's pain. Aila had never specified how Obi-Wan had been killed, but they assumed it had been in some sort of battle. Initially the two of them had visions of Darth Vader ending their son-in-law's life, but Aila had explained that Anakin had brought her back home, so that could not have been the cause of death. Their assumption was that Aila's presence had somehow changed Obi-Wan's future and unfortunately it was a tragic end. They had been giving Aila time to work through her grief before they asked for more details, but now they felt that answers were in order.

"Tell us what happened." Aila's father stated a softly, but there was a hint of command in his voice. "You will feel better if you tell us."

Aila shook her head and sniffled before speaking. "It doesn't matter now." She could not bring herself to tell her parents what Obi-Wan had done. Having to relive that would be agony. "He is dead. I can't change what happened. It is finished."

"No, you can't." Aila's mother replied, brushing away a strand of hair that was stuck to Aila's tear stained face. "But you might feel better if you talk about it and let us help you. You are very pale and have been becoming sicker with each passing day. You can't let yourself waste away, I know Obi-Wan wouldn't want you to do that."

"_I did this for you, to protect you."_ Aila recalled Obi-Wan's words from the last time she saw him. The memory caused more tears to fall, but it caused her to nod her head in agreement to her mother's words. "I know. I miss him."

"We all do." Aila's father stated sympathetically, laying a strong hand on Aila's shoulder. "But you cannot stop living, now that he is gone. Tell us what happened, you should not leave that bottled up inside of you."

Aila's hands dropped from her face and rested on the lightsaber in her lap as she sniffled once more. Her eyes were fixated on the point outside where she had first met her husband.

"Aila?" Her mom prompted after a moment of silence.

Aila stood up abruptly from her chair and moved away from her parents walking towards her bedroom.

"Aila?" Her father asked, reaching out a hand to stop his daughter's retreat.

"I know you all mean the best, but I'm not ready yet." This was true, Aila could have told them what happened to Obi-Wan, but she was not sure how she wanted to broach the subject. She planned on telling them the truth, but she was still trying to figure out how to tell that story. She needed more time to think about that, but her tears and the illness that had plagued her for the last few days had left her weak and shaky. She needed some rest before she faced that topic.

"Aila…." Her mother and father began to protest.

Aila shook her head in response. "I promise I'll tell you, but not tonight. I have a headache and I need some rest."

Aila's father gave a resigned sigh. He could tell by looking in his daughter's eyes that she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. Although he still felt it would be better for her to tell them what happened now, rather than later, he could not deny her some rest. "Get some sleep. We'll talk about this in the morning."

Aila's mother looked up at her husband in surprise, but did not say anything. Aila just flashed a small half smile at them before turning back down towards her bedroom. Both of her parents cast a concerned look at one another as they heard the bedroom door close behind their daughter, but there was nothing more they could do until the following day.

Once inside the sanctuary of her room, Aila slid into a nightgown and climbed into bed. She placed Obi-Wan's lightsaber onto her bedside table, letting her fingertips linger on its smooth surface for a moment as if she was reluctant to let it go. Then opening up her Force bond as she had done every night since Anakin left her on her home planet, she whispered, "I love you," into the nothingness. This act always caused more tears to form in her eyes, but she hoped that wherever Obi-Wan's spirit was, he would hear it.


	3. Ch 2: Grief, Danger, and Threats

**Chapter 2: Grief, Danger, and Threats**

Master Yoda sat morosely on a log outside what was his new home on the swampy terrain of Dagobah. He gave a long sad sigh as he traced a lazy pattern into the ground with his gimmerstick.

"Do not blame yourself, my old friend. My apprentice made his choice." The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn echoed through the Force.

"Blind I was, not to see what was happening." Yoda replied keeping his gaze on the muddy ground. After his loss to the Sith Master he had been filled with despair. He had not been prepared to face the Sith and he knew no other Jedi would stand a chance against him. He had worried about Anakin when neither he nor Senator Organa had heard from him. It was not until shortly before Organa dropped Yoda off on the secluded planet of Dagobah that Master Skywalker made contact with them.

Anakin's news had been grave. Obi-Wan was alive, but injured. Additionally, his wife, Aila, had been put into hiding to protect herself and her unborn child. Anakin was heading to Tatooine to pick up his own family and perform another task to give Aila some extra protection. Yoda had nothing but respect for the younger Jedi Master. Despite the horrible task that had been set on him, Anakin had kept a level head and done all he could to ensure the safety of all effected parties. Now he was with his own family, hiding them from the wrath of the Sith for both Anakin and Yoda knew that Sidious and Avarik would be looking for them.

The desolate planet of Dagobah made a good hiding place for Yoda, but was too dangerous and inhospitable for raising two small children. For this, Yoda was a little grateful. Part of him would have welcomed the distraction of two vibrant children, but at the same time he felt he needed to be alone after his failure with the Sith. He had failed once and could not bear to fail the two Skywalker children as well.

"Obi-Wan was deceived, we all were." Qui-Gon's voice tried to calm the elder Jedi.

"Now, all is lost." Yoda's ears drooped at this last remark. Anakin might have been able to best a Sith, but he had not. Somehow his skills, the same skills he had taught many in the Jed Order were too feeble and weak to best the ultimate evil. The Jedi had considered themselves Masters of the Force, but after his defeat to Darth Sidious, Yoda knew they had been gravely mistaken.

"No." Qui-Gon replied emphatically. "Obi-Wan is still there somewhere, but he is out of our reach.

"Time and patience you suggest?" Yoda asked of the voice of the long fallen Jedi.

"And trust in the Force." Qui-Gon replied sagely. "She will need our help. She is in for a long journey."

Yoda nodded. "Trust in the Force I do, but much to learn I still have." The diminutive Jedi then hopped down from his log and bowed his head in respect to the unseen presence. "Teach me Master Jinn. Your apprentice, I gratefully become."

* * *

Anakin dropped off Aila on her home planet because it was the only place he could think of where there were other people who could care for her. Additionally, he thought an unfamiliar planet in a distant galaxy would provide her some protection from Sidious. He was not sure if Sidious knew about Earth, but even if he did the vastness of that planet would give Aila a chance to blend in. He knew it was likely that Obi-Wan would find her, but his intention had never been to separate them forever. Aila brought out the good in Obi-Wan and perhaps she could reach through the darkness that consumed him and save his soul.

After their brief exchange at the end of their battle on Mustafar, he knew Obi-Wan was still a good man. However, due to the atrocious timing of Darth Sidious, Anakin had not had time to reach it.

Anakin felt terrible for the injuries he had inflicted on Obi-Wan, he never meant things to end like that. It had been an accident. It was because of those injuries that Anakin had hidden Aila away. In Obi-Wan's incapacitated state, it was likely his Sith Master would have gone after Aila, especially when the news of her pregnancy was revealed. Both Aila and her unborn child were a threat to Sidious' dark hold on Obi-Wan.

Only by securing Aila and faking her death could he make sure the Darth Sidious did not spend a lot of time looking for her. He knew it would break Obi-Wan's heart, but his actions were or the best. Hopefully, when his former friend was reunited with his wife he would see that. Aila would still be in danger from Sidious when Obi-Wan did find her, but the Sith Master would have to find sneakier ways to kill her under the watchful eye of Obi-Wan. The Master could not reveal his intentions to his apprentice.

The only problem now was that Anakin knew that initially Obi-Wan would think Aila was dead and until he found out otherwise, himself and his family were in danger. The thought that he had placed his own family in danger gave Anakin pause to question his judgment, but in the end he told him he had done it all for his friend and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

* * *

Anakin kept a watchful eye on his surroundings as he walked outside with Padmé and their twins. The family was enjoying a moment of fresh air in the yard of what was now their secluded Alderaanian home. Senator Organa had given the family a modest cottage in the Alderaanian countryside where the famous couple could stay hidden.

Organa had offered them rooms in his palace, but Anakin had refused. He did not want to draw attention to himself or his family. He had requested that the Senator help them find a more secluded place. One could get lost in the mass of people in Coruscant, the vast desert of Tatooine, and the countryside of Naboo, but since those three locations were directly linked to Anakin and Padmé's past he knew those would be the first places Obi-Wan would look for them.

Alderaan was populated enough that Anakin and Padmé could blend into the population, and they could also find a quiet stretch of countryside to limit their exposure to the world at large. However, the Jedi Master kept his guard up at all times, making sure his own family was not attacked.

Padmé knew something awful had happened when Anakin arrived on Tatooine in Aila's Nubian cruiser without her. The former Nubian senator's curiosity was peaked even more when her husband set the ship on fire before running into the homestead to tell Cliegg and Owen they had to leave their family home.

Both Cliegg and Owen had initially refused, but after Anakin explained Obi-Wan's fall to darkness and the fact that he would likely come here to search for Anakin, they reluctantly agreed. As they packed their meager belongings, Anakin offered to take Cliegg and Owen with them, but the two men staunchly refused.

"Our place is here." Cliegg and Owen answered simultaneously. "We will find a new home if you say we must leave, but we will stay on Tatooine."

Anakin was not satisfied with this response and tried to argue against it, but both Cliegg and Owen stubbornly refused to change their mind. While Anakin fired up the engines to Padmé's Nubian cruiser, the two Lars men packed up a speeder that could take them to another part of the desolate planet.

Padmé had watched Anakin bite his lip in trepidation at Cliegg and Owen's decision and she would often catch her husband gazing up at the sky in the direction of Tatooine. Anakin's eyes seemed to plead for the Lars' safety. She knew her husband felt guilty for endangering his step family, but it could not be helped and Padmé tried to remind her husband of that each day.

Although they lived with the constant threat of being captured by the new empire, Padmé was grateful that she, Anakin, Luke, and Leia, could remain together as a family. It was a small, but precious consolation for having their galaxy ripped apart. Her only regret was that her friend, Aila, could not share in a similar situation. Padmé only hoped that wherever Aila was she could find one small ray of happiness.

* * *

In his Coruscant throne room, Sidious grinned as he watched various members of his court vying and groveling for his approval. He had not been in power for very long, but it pleased him that people were already subjecting themselves to him.

His apprentice was taking care of the few dissidents spread across the galaxy, the young man's grief fueling his actions. Although Sidious was still suspicious over Aila's supposed death, his agents could find no sign of her. Since he could not fathom Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker killing the woman, he assumed she had found herself an ingenious hiding place.

Sidious had no problems if Aila wanted to pretend she was dead. The guilt and grief her husband felt at her loss made it easier for the Sith Master to control his new apprentice. Using Aila's demise as a show of weakness, Sidious could keep the apprentice from attempting to overthrow his Master, for his grief made Darth Avarik feel inadequate.

In the end, Sidious had planned on killing Aila, and her disappearance was very convenient. Although he still had a few agents scouring the galaxy for her whereabouts, he was not going to waste his time worrying about her. If she did decide to show herself she would be dealt with then. Aila Kenobi's husband was gone, replaced with Darth Avarik, and Sidious was not going to let one woman dismantle his Empire.


	4. Ch 3: Finding Closure

**Chapter 3: Finding Closure**

Darth Avarik had his left arm thrown over his forehead as he lay on the bed in his darkened quarters. The rest of his ship was silent as the majority of the crew was asleep for the night. The Sith Lord should have been sleeping as well, but instead was pleading with the Force to cease its torment.

Just after that fateful night on Mustafar, Avarik had heard echoes in the Force. All were merely a faint whisper, but the speaker's voice was undeniable, it was his goddess, Aila. She was always apologizing or telling him she loves him, both of which tore at his heart. Aila had nothing to be sorry about; her loss was Avarik's fault and no one else's. He should have never left her in Anakin's hands.

Initially, Avarik had wanted to believe that Sidious' intelligence had been mistaken. As soon as his tirade had finished, he ran to the nearest shuttle he could find to go to the Lars' homestead on Tatooine. Unfortunately, he did not find the miracle he had hoped for, but the confirmation of the tragedy from Sidious' report. Clones had scanned the inside of the burnt out hull of Aila's ship only to uselessly report that the damage was complete and there were no survivors.

Not wanting to be reminded that Aila was gone, Avarik had killed all the clones at the homestead in a violent fury. Avarik had then taken a few moments to search the homestead and the surrounding area for any sign of its former inhabitants, but it was completely bare. The traitorous Jedi had hidden his tracks well, but Avarik was determined that someday he would find the man who had betrayed him.

Enraged by his findings on Tatooine, and looking for someone else to blame, Darth Avarik rushed from the desert planet to the sink holes of Utapau. Commander Cody had been given the task of killing Anakin on Utapau under Order 99, but the Clone Commander had failed. Had he not been tortured by his own pain, Avarik would have realized he had initially hoped Anakin would survive the clone attack so that both friends could overthrow Sidious and rule the galaxy together. However, in his rage all he could think of was that Cody had failed him. So before landing, he called for Commander Cody to meet him on the landing platform. As soon as the ramp to his shuttle opened up, Avarik snapped the unsuspecting clone's neck with a subtle wave of his hand.

For a brief moment, Avarik felt better. However, as he had reboarded his shuttle to head back to Coruscant, he began to hear the faint echo of Aila's voice in the Force. That same voice called out to him periodically from that point onward, opening the wounds of his broken heart with each syllable.

Sidious did not know that a voice was the source of his new apprentice's pain; he figured it was just his grief. Regardless of its cause, the Sith Master reveled in Avarik's pain and did his best to perpetuate it.

While Avarik tried to distract himself by barking orders at clones or constructing a new ruby bladed lightsaber for himself, Sidious set up a memorial service for Aila Kenobi. Avarik had been grateful for the service to his wife and the act of closure his Master was trying to give him, but it caused the Sith Apprentice to mourn some more. What Avarik did not know was that it was Sidious' intention to make him miserable with a long drawn out ceremony, rather than as an honor to his murdered wife.

Avarik had hoped that after the ceremony, the voice in his head would stop whispering to him, but closure seemed out of reach as the Force continued to mock him with Aila's soft voice. All he had left to distract him from painful memories of her was his daily pursuit of his Jedi enemies. This was fine during the day, but at night it taunted him in his sleep and while he lied restlessly awake in his private quarters. All he had done to close the chapter in his life, that was Aila, had not worked. Perhaps he would have had more closure if he had seen her lifeless body, but based on the extent of the fire damage in her ship, there was no hope of recovering it.

_"I'm sorry. Obi-Wan I love you! I'm sorry."_ The Force echoed to Darth Avarik once more, causing a great growl of frustration and anguish to pass his lips. He sat up in bed and pounded his fist into the mattress of his bed. He was exhausted because the voice in the Force had kept him up the past few nights.

He had tried to distance himself from everything that had once been a part of her life, but that did not help. He had no closure as his heart continued to grieve.

_"I love you."_ The voice echoed again.

Growling once more, Avarik stood from his bed and called his new lightsaber to his hand. He then strode purposely out of his quarters to the hangar of his Star Destroyer. There was one last place he could go to find solace from the nagging voice in the Force. He had been avoiding it for the pain it would cause, but he had run out of ideas.

"Sir, where are you going?" A young lieutenant asked after saluting his superior officer.

"I am leaving on a personal matter." Avarik stated, walking past the young officer.

"What are your orders?" The lieutenant asked, running after the Sith, but maintaining some distance between them in case Avarik's temper flared.

"Stay here, this should not take long."

"Where are you going?" The officer asked again, but Avarik ignored the question as he reached the hanger and immediately ran to his starfighter.

* * *

Aila had managed to postpone telling her parents the story of what happened to Obi-Wan for a few more days by using her illness as a way to stay locked up in her room. She did feel ill, but it came and went throughout the days. However, he parents caught onto this charade and forced Aila out of her room in time for Christmas Eve.

Aila's parents gave their daughter plenty of time during the day to open up to them, but she remained silent on the topic through dinnertime. She would either stare blankly at the decorated tree in her living room or comment on the weather. The storm from a few days ago had let up, but another light snowfall was due latter in the evening.

"Aila, you can't keep avoiding us, tell us what happened." Aila's father stated gently, taking a seat on the sofa next to his daughter. Aila's mother took a seat to Aila's other side and grasped one of her daughter's hands in her own.

"I know. It's just…." Aila's voice caught in her throat as she cast her eyes down to her lap, blinking back a tear that was threatening to fall.

"We know this is hard." He father replied, lifting her chin up so his eyes could lock with those belonging to his daughter. "But you will feel better if you tell us."

Aila remained silent. She lost the battle against the tear in her right eye and it trailed down her cheek.

"Just keep things simple." Aila's mother suggested. "How did Obi-Wan die?"

"He had a fight with Anakin and he lost." Aila responded, sniffling.

"Then Anakin has fallen to the dark side? But why would he have brought you here?" Aila's mother asked confused.

Aila shook her head. "Anakin did not fall. O… Obi-Wan, did." She grimaced as she made that declaration.

Sensing his daughter's pain, Aila's father drew her into his arms for a supportive hug. "It's okay. How did it happen?"

"We were tricked by the Sith Lord. He hid his identity from us and acted as our friend." Aila started, but then her tone turned bitter. "The Jedi Council never supported our marriage and the Sith was able to use that to twist Obi-Wan's mind. I thought something was wrong, but Obi-Wan hid it from me."

Aila's mother sat in stunned silence, she was not very familiar with the Star Wars universe, but she had seen the movies and knew that Sith Lords and the dark side were bad.

"So, Anakin fought Obi-Wan because of the fall to darkness?" Aila's father asked softly, trying to draw more of the story from his daughter.

"Yes." Aila nodded and with that response divulged more facts about Supreme Chancellor Len Itappa who she assumed was now Emperor Palpatine and how he had driven her husband into darkness. By the end of her story, she was brushing away the stray tears from her bloodshot eyes as her parents listened to her lament. "This shouldn't have happened, it's all my fault."

"No!" Aila's parents both answered vehemently.

"He made the choice, not you." Her father replied sternly.

"You are better off without him." Aila's mother added, causing Aila to stand from the couch abruptly.

Aila stamped her foot on the ground as she replied. "No! I love him. I don't know what I'm going…." Aila trailed off as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Aila's father stood and hugged his daughter close once more. "We know you miss him. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a good man and a good husband, but this Darth Avarik you speak of is not him."

"Obi-Wan was destroyed by Darth Avarik." Aila's mother added, keeping her tone light as she knew her previous statement was not the wisest thing to have said to her daughter. However, Aila's mother was glad that Obi-Wan had died if he had turned evil. She did not want her daughter getting caught up in that. She was sure her daughter would see that things were better this way once she had some time to deal with her loss. "You loved Obi-Wan, not Darth Avarik."

Aila did not respond, but sniffled slightly as she pulled away from her father. "It is not wrong to grieve for Obi-Wan, but do not blame yourself for his transgressions. I'm sure he would have never wanted that." He added.

"_I did it for you, to protect you."_ Aila closed her eyes as the memory of Obi-Wan's words echoed in her mind. Her voice was meek and shaky as she replied. "I know."

"Just know that your father and I are here for you if you need us." Aila's mother added, hugging her daughter.

"Thank you." Aila answered while reciprocating the hug briefly before pulling away, she swayed slightly on her feet, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Noticing his daughter sway slightly, Aila's father rested a hand on her back to steady her. "Are you all right?"

Aila pressed a hand to her forehead. "Yes… I… I just need to lie down. I… I'll see you in the morning to open gifts. Merry Christmas." Aila finished dazedly, slowly making her way to her bedroom.

"Merry Christmas." Aila's parents echoed before falling into a quiet conversation about their daughter. A couple hours later, the two of them checked in to see that she was sleeping before retiring to the guest bedroom across from Aila's.

* * *

Darth Avarik's starfighter landed silently onto the snow covered ground of a planet he had once discovered by accident. As he stepped out of his ship and onto the frigid ground he gazed up at the house that had once belonged to his beloved wife. Just looking up at the house brought on a wave of sadness. The last time he had been to this house was with Aila and it hurt that she could not join him on this journey. However, this place was the last connection to his wife and he hoped this visit would allow him to say goodbye and end the torment of the voice in his head.

Slowly Avarik trudged through the snow, reverently gazing around at his surroundings. When he approached the front door he waved his hand over the door knob. When the lock gave an audible click, he waved his hand once more to silently open the door and allow himself to enter.

A wave of memories cascaded through Avarik's mind as he gazed at the familiar entryway and sitting room. His mind visually conjured up images of Aila, going about various tasks in these rooms. The decorated pine tree was an item of note. It had not been there on Aila's and his last visit to Earth. He suspected his wife's parents had put it in place as they cared for the home. Too distracted by his own grief, Avarik did not call upon the Force to look for her parents. He just hoped they were not around because he did not want to have to explain that their daughter had been murdered. He just wanted to be left at peace as he made his way through the home.

Avarik turned right and silently lingered in Aila's kitchen and dining room, flashing a sad smile as he recalled meals they had shared there. There were thousands of happy memories connected with this place and it grieved the Sith Lord that no more could be created here.

Not wanting to linger for too long in case someone spotted him, Avarik made his way toward the back of the home and to the room he knew would be the most difficult to enter. This was the room where he had first consummated his marriage with Aila and as he calculated the date in his head a tear fell from his eyes when he realized their anniversary would occur in a little over a day.

Through the tears, Avarik continued to see images, from his memories, of Aila wandering around the hall. He wished that one of them was actually her, but they all faded into nothingness as he stepped closer to his destination.

Stopping in front of the closed door of Aila's bedroom, Avarik took a deep ragged breath as he tried to steady himself for the emotional onslaught he knew he was about to face. He hesitated twice as he brought his hand up to the door knob and had to force himself to call upon the Force to open that door.

Avarik's body shook with a combination of grief and trepidation as he stepped over the threshold of the doorway so he was standing just inside the bedroom. His eyes briefly scanned the room until they fixated on Aila's side of the bed. Like before, his mind conjured up an image of his wife peacefully sleeping, her long brown hair fanned out against her pillow.

His feet felt leaden as he trudged around the bed towards the apparition and more tears leaked from his eyes with each passing step. He absently brushed them away with the metallic hand Anakin had awarded him as he took a seat next to the apparition. He knew it was silly, but he made sure his body was not touching that of the image his mind had conjured up. The apparition could not feel him, but he did not want to disturb it, treating the image as he would his own wife.

Avarik simply gazed at the apparition for a few moments, taking a few steadying breaths to calm himself. His imagination, he noted, seemed to invoke a sense of soothing warmth coming from the figure on the bed. The image might have been a figment of his imagination, but it was also the closest he could get to Aila to say goodbye.

"I miss you." Avarik murmured to the image, blinking back tears once more. "I love you." He added, his voice cracking slightly with the weight those words had on his heart. As he had done several times to Aila, he absentmindedly raised a hand to brush against the apparition's face. Usually, he would have used his right hand, but he still felt self-conscious about the metal appendage, so he moved his left hand towards the figure.

Expecting to feel nothing and watch the apparition fade, Avarik was shocked when a warm cheek nuzzled against his fingers before giving a long sigh, "Obi-Wan."

Avarik's eyes widened in shock and he abruptly pulled his hand away and stood from the bed. The figure he had just touched, pulled her blanket over her as she fell back to sleep, oblivious to her visitor.

Wary of what had just happened, the Sith Lord called upon the Force to probe the figure for a Force signature, what he found startled him. "It can't be." He murmured, staring for a moment at the sleeping woman's face. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his Force bond with his wife, but he still felt nothing.

Thinking this was all a trick his mind and the Force were playing on him, Avarik tore his eyes away from the woman and to the bedside table next to her. His eyes widened in more shock as he lifted up a familiar item. It was a lightsaber, but not just any lightsaber, it was his. There was only one reason that weapon would be here and praying he was right he closed his eyes once more and opened his Force bond. Once again he felt nothingness, but he probed that nothingness, pushing desperately against it. In an instant, the block between his side of the Force bond and Aila's shattered and Darth Avarik could clearly feel his wife's presence.

"Aila." He murmured reverently, as he gazed not at a memory, but his actual wife. His heart swelled with joy and relief as he could see and feel that she was alive. Brushing away a stray strand of hair from her face, Avarik smiled as Aila unconsciously pressed her face against his fingertips once more.

"My goddess." He proclaimed with a whisper of his joy at finding her. He then leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

For a moment Aila obliged the familiar pressure against her lips, but as she regained consciousness from the land of dreams her mind began to tell her something was wrong. When Aila opened her eyes she abruptly pulled back and screamed in shock at the sight before her.


	5. Ch 4: Avarik's Goddess

**Chapter 4: Avarik's Goddess**

"Aila! It's alright, it's me." Avarik stated hurriedly as he drew his startled wife back into his arms. His heart beat wildly with elation at the revelation that she was still alive.

For a moment, Aila continued to push at Avarik's shoulder, trying to move away from him. However, as she began to feel love, relief, and longing flow over her Force bond with Obi-Wan, her struggles ceased. "O…Obi-Wan?" She asked skeptically, not sure if her eyes were deceiving her.

"Yes, my goddess." Avarik replied with a breathless whisper before leaning in to capture Aila's lips once again, with his own. Over his Force bond he added, "I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were dead." Aila echoed back before verbally giving a pleased sigh as her husband's hand trailed down her body. "I missed you."

"I love you. I…" Avarik's reply to his wife was cut short as the voice of her father was heard.

"Let her go!" Aila's scream had awakened her parents and they had both gone to their daughter's aid. Aila's father had ordered his wife to stay back when he realized the cause of Aila's scream was from the appearance of Obi-Wan, apparently alive and well. After what his daughter had told him earlier that evening, he knew caution was needed. Obi-Wan was dangerous to all inhabitants in the home, including Aila.

"It's all right." Avarik called out over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off his wife.

"I said get away from her!" Aila's father stated more sternly.

Aila watched in horror as her husband's eyes briefly flashed an amber color as he stood from the bed and turned to face her father. "Why should I?" He growled.

Not wanting a fight to ensue, because Aila knew her father was no match for Jedi or Sith abilities, she placed a calming hand on her husband's shoulder while she addressed her father. "It's ok, Dad." A part of her trembled with fear at the anger she had seen in her husband's eyes. She had felt relief to see her husband alive, but it hurt to see his darker nature take hold of him. For a moment she thought she had her Obi-Wan back, but now she knew he was still consumed by darkness.

This gave Aila and her parents a reason to fear Obi-Wan. However, at the same time, Aila could not just shun her husband. Despite his current allegiance with evil, she still loved him and could not imagine life without him. The last few days had been agony when she had thought he was dead and now that they were reunited she could not flee her husband. In an alternate future Anakin had been saved from the dark side and she hoped her husband could share a similar fate.

"No, it's not ok. You said it yourself, he is a Sith and cannot be trusted." Aila's father added.

"What do you mean, I can't be trusted?" Avarik growled. "I'm her husband. I love her."

"You are not her husband." Aila's father stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "She married Obi-Wan Kenobi, not Darth whatever you are."

Aila could see the tension in her husband's shoulder and that his breathing was accelerating as his rage began to bubble. "Dad, please don't get in the middle of this. I love him." She pleaded with her father not to make this situation worse.

Aila's words caused some of the malice glowing in Avarik's eyes to recede momentarily. Seeing her husband's muscles relax slightly, Aila stood from the bed and joined his side.

"I will not let him hurt you anymore than he already has." Aila's father countered his daughter.

"I would never harm her!" Avarik barked in response. His eyes narrowed as he said, "I will not let you take her from me. She was stolen from me once; I won't let that happen again."

"She's staying here." Feeling braver than he should have, Aila's father took a step towards his daughter, his hands outstretched to pull her away from the Sith.

"No!" Avarik shouted, extending his palm and giving Aila's father a Force push.

As she watched her father stumble backwards from the attack, Aila gave a strangled cry of "No!" as she tugged at her husband's hand.

Aila's pain filled cry halted Avarik's attack and as the infuriation that fueled his attack faded and he witnessed the outcome of his actions, he quickly called upon the Force to steady her father.

"Please don't hurt him." Aila pleaded, putting herself between her father and her husband. She drew both of her husband's hands, one metal and one flesh into her own. She ignored the cool durasteel of his new metal appendage as she tried to catch her husband's eyes. She was relieved when they were his natural blue green color rather than sithly yellow. Part of her wanted to yell at her husband for nearly attacking her father, but he had stopped himself. A true Sith would have carried out the attack, but deep down her Obi-Wan was still there. Good still resided in his soul, he had just revealed that.

"I'm sorry." Avarik stated meekly, opening his arms so that Aila could enter them. He was not sure if he deserved the love and forgiveness he felt from her after what he had almost done.

He started to berate himself, but any negative thoughts or guilt he would have felt faded as he sensed a ripple in the Force. Unsure of the source, Avarik tensed as Aila approached him, opening his senses to the Force anomaly. It was not until he wrapped a protective hand around his wife that he felt the tiny spark growing within her, causing his heart to leap in excitement.

Caught up in the news he had revealed to himself, Avarik grabbed Aila and pulled her into a fierce kiss.

"I told you to get away from her!" Aila's father continued to argue, cautiously nearing his son-in-law after his last attack.

Avarik ignored the older man's comment as he pulled away from Aila's kiss swollen lips, to whisper, "Come on. We're going home."

"What?" Aila asked, shaking her head while she caught her breath from her husband's last display of passion.

"We're going home, my goddess."

Aila took a tentative step away from her husband, "But…." Had her husband not fallen to the dark side she probably would have been more willing to follow his request, but knowing that the Sith had seized control of the galaxy made her feel uneasy about returning, for both herself and her husband.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight again. I must return and you are coming with me. I won't leave you here unprotected." Avarik then picked up Aila into his arms, to rebuke any further protest.

"She's safer here than with you." Aila's father countered. He stepped into the path that led out of the bedroom, blocking Avarik's departure.

Aila was thinking furiously of some excuse to stay where she was, with Obi-Wan. She knew he would be better off without the influence of Sidious. "We have no enemies here. Why don't we stay here? We can leave everything else behind and start a new life."

Avarik smiled warmly. "We don't have to runaway, my goddess. I've dealt with the majority of our enemies. I can protect you from the rest. Besides, with you by my side, we'll overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy together. No one will touch us once we are in power." A wistful glint shone in Avarik's eyes with his statement.

"But, I don't want that." Aila shook her head sadly, echoing her words from Mustafar.

Avarik flashed her a warm smile and gave her a peck on the lips. "With time, I'm sure you'll see things my way, my stubborn goddess."

"Obi-Wan!" Aila began to plead, but before she could continue her father spoke up again.

"You aren't taking her. Her place is here! Now leave!"

Irritated by his father-in-law's constant nagging, part of Avarik wished he had completed his previous attack. However, knowing Aila would disapprove he restrained himself and merely shifted Aila in his arms so that he could wave his hand before her father. Avarik called on the Force to suggest that Aila's father take a nap long enough for the Sith to get his wife and unborn child off the planet.

Avarik then used the Force to gently settle Aila's father against the wall after his knees buckled underneath him due to the Force suggestion. Avarik realized Aila got her stubbornness from her father because he had to concentrate heavily to get him to succumb to the mind trick.

"No!" Aila squirmed in her husband's arms. "What did you do to him?"

Avarik tightened his grip on his wife. "He'll be all right. He'll wake up once we are gone."

However, Avarik's words did not seem to calm Aila who was frantically trying to push herself out of his arms. "No! Please…no!" She pleaded. She did not want to leave her father this way. She knew he would be devastated when he woke up and found out that she had been taken. It would be better for her to tell him she was leaving of her own free will. Her father still might not have liked that response, but it was better that knocking him out.

Sensing his wife's growing distress, Avarik knew he needed to settle her down for her own well being as well as that of the baby. After the emotional rollercoaster the two of them had been on the last few weeks, he knew the baby did not need more stress. With this justification, Avarik did something he frequently did to calm Aila. He pushed on their Force bond to put her to sleep. In a matter of seconds, her body was limp in his arms, her head resting on his chest. "Rest well, my goddess. I'll protect you." He murmured into her hair as he carried her to the doorway of her bedroom.

Before he left, he glanced around the room for anything he felt he should take with them. The only item that caught his eye was his old lightsaber. With the new one swinging on his belt he had no use for the old one. However, Aila had kept it and he could not deny her this memento. So calling upon the Force he called it to him and by shifting Aila in his arms, he was able to secure it to his belt. Finding nothing else of significance, he carried his wife out of the room, but there was still one last obstacle on his way to his starfighter.

"Please don't take her." Aila's mother pleaded, throwing herself at her son-in-law. "She's been through enough already." Having been outside of the bedroom, Aila's mother had only heard the exchange between Avarik and her husband. She did not see what the Sith Lord had done, but she did not care. Her sole focus was on protecting her daughter.

"I'll take good care of her." Avarik tried to reassure the woman.

"She's better off here, without you." Aila's mother sobbed as she tugged at Avarik's cloak.

At this, Avarik whirled around, and growled. "No! She's mine!" Then with a wave of his hand he repeated the mind trick he had used on Aila's father. Once Aila's mother was settled on the ground, he added, "No one will split up my family." Then he exited Aila's home undisturbed.

Snow caught in Aila's hair as Avarik cautiously maneuvered the two of them into his starfighter. It would have been easier to get settled if Aila had been awake for this process, but she needed the rest.

As he waited for the engines of his ship to fire up, Avarik ran his left hand over Aila's abdomen once more, feeling the ripple in the Force from before. Before taking the controls to guide them away from this galaxy, Avarik cast a proud smile at the tiny life growing within his wife and said, "We are going home, my son."


	6. Ch 5: A Broken Promise and a Broken Hope

**Chapter 5: The Broken Promise and a Broken Hope**

Avarik landed his starfighter in the main landing bay of the Star Destroyer under his command. As he opened up the ship's hatch and used the Force to help him get himself and Aila out of the ship, a few of the officers under his command ran to his side.

"Milord." One of the officers stated with a salute. "Where would you like your prisoner taken?" The officer did not recognize the slumbering woman and gestured for a pair of clone troopers to remove the burden in the Sith's arms.

"Prisoner?" Avarik asked, scrunching his brow in confusion. He was barely listening to his officer; his sole focus was on locking himself and Aila in his private quarters.

"The woman." The officer explained, gesturing towards Aila with his hands. At the same time, the two clones came towards Avarik's side and began to pull Aila from his arms.

"No!" Avarik screamed in rage, his eyes immediately flashing yellow. The clone troopers and the officer who had called for them were thrown backwards against the landing bay's far walls. The two clones were rendered unconscious by the impact to the back of their heads. However, without the luxury of wearing a helmet, the officer was killed instantly when his skill cracked against the thick durasteel. "She is not my prisoner, she is my wife!" Avarik declared menacingly as he quickened his pace out of the landing bay. His arms protectively tightened around the unconscious woman in his arms while behind him, three other officers cast each other worried and confused looks before following after their commanding officer.

None of the officers that followed the Sith said anything as they trailed after him. After the violent display they had just witnessed, they all remained a few steps behind the Sith, fearful of a repeat performance. The only thing that drove their steps was the fact that they needed the Sith's next set of orders before they could depart for their regular positions onboard the ship.

Avarik did not pause his steps until he reached the door of his quarters; where he immediately spun on his heel towards his officers. "Scan the area or any Jedi and deal with them."

"It will be done Milord." They all replied with a skittish bow.

"No one is to interrupt me! No one!" He barked, his eyes flashing bright amber before his gaze turned towards Aila. He smiled fondly at his wife as his natural blue green color returned to his eyes. His tone softened as he stated, "We need some time alone."

"Ye… yes milord." The officers stuttered out giving another tentative bow. They all had questions in their minds, but we unable to voice them as the Sith closed the doors behind him and the woman he claimed to be his wife.

Behind the closed door, Avarik purposely strode to the bed that had been cold and lonely the past few weeks. Shifting Aila in his arms, he gave a slight wave of his hand to turn the covers down before laying Aila on the tiny bed. It was not the same bed they had shared in their Coruscant apartment, but Avarik would order that to be remedied tomorrow. For now he just wanted to spend a restful evening with his wife.

Before shrugging out of his cloak and robes, Avarik settled his old lightsaber that Aila had kept with her on Earth, on a shelf beside her side of the bed. Then, the Sith Lord quickly pulled on a pair of black sleep pants before crawling into bed beside his wife. He wrapped a protective arm around her and pulled her close into his chest before planting a light kiss to the back of her neck. "I love you." He murmured as he ran his right hand over her abdomen. The Force rippled as he searched for the tiny being growing within and he gave a content sigh as he felt it. "Sleep well you two. I will protect you."

With the end of his statement, Avarik settled back against his pillows, pulling a light blanket over the two of them. Aila would not awaken until the following morning, so for now he was content to just hold her while he settled down into his first restful slumber in weeks.

* * *

The following morning, Aila stirred in her sleep, snuggling back against the warm body beside her. She gave a content sigh as two arms tightened around her.

"Good morning." Avarik murmured sleepily into her ear as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

For a moment Aila relaxed into her husband, but as she woke up and her mind began processing the night's previous events she tensed in his arms as she stared at her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where… where are we?" Aila asked shakily.

"Our new home aboard my Star Destroyer." Avarik stated, his lips traveling down the back of Aila's neck.

"No." Aila gasped, jerking out of her husband's arms. "No."

"Aila." Avarik stated soothingly, tightening his hold on her as he attempted to pull her closer against him.

"No!" Aila shouted, pushing fervently against Avarik's arms. "Let me go!"

Avarik refused to let go and maintained a tight hold on Aila, trying to whisper soothing words to her. However, when she unexpectedly kicked his shin, he lost his grip as both Aila and himself gave a small groan of pain. Aila felt a pain in her heel when her foot connected with the durasteel in his leg, and he groaned as her discomfort emanated to him over their Force bond. Despite the pain, this momentary distraction allowed Aila to wriggle free from him to stand next to the bed. She glanced around the plain room taking in what her husband had just told her. Her face grew pale and her body visibly trembled as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Aila, what is wrong?" Avarik asked as he sat up in bed.

"You… you…" Aila stuttered, running her fingers through her long hair. A combination of fear and regret began to emanate from her to Avarik.

"Aila?" Avarik asked more firmly, sliding towards her end of the bed. "What is it?" His voice and eyes were full of concern. He stood from the bed and reached a hand out to draw her to him, but she swatted his hands away.

"No! Get away from me!" Aila shouted, backpedaling away from her husband.

Avarik's eyes momentarily flashed yellow in response to Aila's rebuke, but they softened as he watched her bottom lip tremble. "Tell me what is wrong." He urged.

"You… you kidnapped me. You took me from my home." She looked up at her husband, waiting for an explanation.

Avarik just shrugged. "You were stolen from me, first. Your home is here, with me. I was just returning you to your rightful place."

"You used the Force on me." Aila's voice had a hint of sorrow in it as she added. "You promised, you wouldn't…. When we were married you promised me you would never use the Force against me."

"Except for when you were in danger." Avarik countered matter-of-factly.

Aila's eyes narrowed at this. "When was I in danger?"

"You were panicking unnecessarily, and you do not need to be overstressed, my goddess."

The sadness in Aila's tone vanished to be replaced with anger, her eyes flashed dangerously at her husband. She took a step towards him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "You used the Force against my parents. You should have let me talk to them! They deserved an explanation, but you wouldn't let me! Now they are going to worry!"

"They know I am with you." Avarik tried to catch the hand that was poking his chest in his own, but Aila pulled it away from him.

"Don't touch me!" Aila yelled. "You had no right to do that. You should have let me talk to them!"

"They would not have let you go!" Avarik shouted back, crossing his arms over his chest in irritation as he glared back at Aila.

"That was not their decision. It was not your decision. It was mine!" Aila crossed her own arms over her chest, stomping her foot on the ground to emphasize her point. "You seem intent on making all of my decisions, and I won't have it. You will not…" Aila enunciated every word slowly to ensure her husband heard them. "…Use the Force on me again."

"You don't want to be with me?" Avarik's heart broke at his own words as his eyes that had been filled with anger glazed over with despair.

"You know better than that." Aila sternly replied. "I love you and want to be with you, but not if you are going to use your abilities against me."

Avarik's heart soared at Aila's admission that she would have gone with him, and he attempted to gather her in his arms once more.

"I said!" Aila growled. "Don't touch me! I might love you, but I am not happy with you at the moment."

Avarik gave an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes as he ran a hand through his sleep tousled hair. "Aila, I had to…."

"No you didn't!" Aila interrupted his explanation. "…Just as you did not have to erase my memories." Tears formed in her eyes and slowly trailed down her cheeks as her voice began to crack. "I can't believe you did that. You weren't protecting me, you were protecting yourself. You shut me out because you feared what I would think, and now look at you. Why didn't you let me help you?"

Straightening his shoulders in his defense Avarik spoke softly. "I had to protect you from the Jedi, they tried to kill you."

"That is what your new Master says." Aila spat. "I don't believe it. Anakin was a Jedi and he didn't kill me. He had the chance."

Avarik's eyes flashed yellow at the name of his former apprentice. "He hid you from me." He stated dangerously. "He tried to split us apart. He will pay for that."

"Listen to yourself!" Aila pleaded, wiping away the tears from her cheek. "This isn't you. You are stronger than this."

Avarik's tone became monotone as he responded. "I am strong because I have been enlightened to the lies of the Jedi. I did what I had to, in order to protect you. I will continue to do that. Once I defeat my Master you will join my side as my Empress and we will rule together."

"And what if I refuse." Aila scoffed.

"You won't." Avarik countered, his eyes locking with Aila's. He sent a feeling of stern resolve over their Force bond to emphasize his point.

Once again, Aila crossed her arms over her chest as her ire grew. "You are going to use the Force against me again? You think that will change my mind? I might not be able to manipulate it like you can, but I'll remind you that I have some power too." Then although it pained her to do it she gathered her concentration and shut off her side of the Force bond with her husband.

Avarik gasped and tried to press against the bond to get her to open it once more. He had just regained the connection with her and he did not want to lose it again. "Aila." He gasped out with a plea as he struggled against her efforts. Avarik did succeed in keeping bond open, but Aila was tiring herself out fighting against him. Although it pained him, he eventually relinquished his hold on the bond and allowed her to close it because he did not want her to wear herself out and cause harm to their baby. However, the sudden severance of the bond caused Avarik to wince and sway slightly on his feet as a wave of emptiness cascaded upon him.

Through tear filled eyes Aila coldly replied to his statement. "I married Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Until he shows his face again, I will not open up that bond. A Sith does not deserve it."

"I'm sorry." Avarik pleaded again, raising his left hand to caress Aila's cheek, but instead of leaning into his hand as she usually did, she turned away from his touch.

Once again, his eyes dangerously flashed amber in response to this rebuke. His heart was breaking, but at the same time a great rage was boiling within him. He knew he had to leave before he did something he regretted.

He turned on his heel and stormed towards the door of his quarters. Before he left he spoke a few final words. "The Jedi are dead, my wife. You will have to accept that the Sith are our future." Then with one last cold look at his wife, Avarik let the door to his quarters slide shut behind him.

Aila's bottom lip trembled as she stared blankly at the closed door. Avarik's last words ripped at her heart. Her husband, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, was gone. He had been taken from her by Darth Avarik and what little faith she had that he could return was fading as she replayed their last argument.

As her body trembled in grief, Aila slowly walked towards the tiny bed in Avarik's quarters and sat herself down upon it before great sobs wracked her body. For a short time she had been relieved to see Avarik, thinking her husband had returned, but now she mourned again for him. After their fight, she could find no hope for the reclamation of Obi-Wan's soul.


	7. Ch 6: The Voice of Reason

**Chapter 6: The Voice of Reason**

Lord Avarik stormed down the hall, a growl of anger passing his lips as he moved away from his quarters. Through his eyes, Aila did not understand anything. Everything he had done was for her and she was throwing it all away because she did not approve of his current alliance with the Sith. She failed to realize that it was the Jedi that had tried to split them apart, not the Sith. Additionally, that alliance with the Sith was only temporary until he had formed a plan to oust his current Master and seize control for himself. He could not fathom how Aila could be against this, as Emperor and Empress they could dictate the laws of the galaxy and build a safe and secure world that accepted them and allowed them to raise their family.

With a frustrated roar, Avarik abruptly turned on his heel, his eyes flashing dangerously. His actions startled a few members of his crew that had been walking a short distance behind him. They immediately fled down the corridor in the hope that they could evade their commanding officer's volatile wrath.

For the last few weeks, Avarik had agonized over the loss of his wife and now that he had found her she had promptly cut off their Force bond in an attempt to punish him for "kidnapping," her. He had not "kidnapped" her. She had said herself that she would have gone with him, so she was a willing party in this, not a victim. She was being stubborn for no reason and he refused to let her shut him out of her life. She was his wife, and soon to be mother of his son and he was going to be a part of her life whether she liked it or not.

His intent was to march back to his quarters and force Aila to see things his way. Although the Jedi had warned him against such actions he was readying himself to alter her memories to achieve the desired results. Around him, the Force rippled a warning at this, but Avarik was too focused on his anger to notice it. Just as he was about to open the door to his quarters, a voice in the Force made one last plea. "She loves you."

Avarik's right hand froze over the door as his mind processed that last statement. He clenched his hand into a fist as his conscience fought with him. Aila had said that she loved him, and despite their argument he loved her as well. He might want to grab her and kiss her stubborn lips into submission, but in the end a kiss was a show of love and not anger.

Continuing to fight with himself, Avarik clenched and unclenched his fist several times before he forced himself to turn from the door to his quarters. He exhaled a frustrated sigh as he absently made his way towards the strategy room, which besides the room Aila now occupied, had become his sanctuary of late. However, this time he was not going to be mourning a loss, but thinking of a way to convince Aila to let him back into her life.

* * *

Aila's tears had stifled so her body was only racked with shaky sniffles. She was still sitting on the bed she had settled herself upon after Lord Avarik had left. The room was a drab gray color, mimicking the gloominess of her own feelings. The room was simply furnished, only a small bed, closet, a few sparse shelves, and a doorway that led to what Aila assumed was the fresher. It looked nothing like the apartment she had shared with Obi-Wan.

However, Aila was not interested in her surroundings; her mind was focused on what she had just done. She held her head in her hands, slowly massaging the ache in her forehead caused by her tears. She always dreaded closing her Force bond off with her husband. Every time he went away on a mission for the Jedi Council, she always flinched when their bond had been closed. She hated the feeling of emptiness that accompanied it.

Whenever Obi-Wan had returned to her and their bond had been opened she had relished in the feelings of love that emanated from him to her. Similarly, when he had awoken her on Earth a few hours ago, she had felt great elation and relief at being able to feel him both physically and through their bond. She had felt alone when she thought he was dead and had been elated to find she had been wrong.

However, all of her happiness diminished when she had found out what Obi-Wan had done to both her and her parents. Once again he had manipulated her to get what he wanted. Yes, Aila knew in her heart she would have gone with him, but he should have given her the opportunity to make that decision on her own. Her parents probably would have argued against that decision, but Aila should have been given the chance to talk to them herself. Instead, Obi-Wan, or Lord Avarik as he called himself, had forced her into a decision.

A long time ago, Obi-Wan would have never done that. It was not until the Sith started sinking his claws into him that Obi-Wan began manipulating her mind and consciousness to hide his dark activities. Their relationship had gone from being open to one clouded with secrets and lies.

Now that they had been reunited she was not going to let Obi-Wan treat her like that again. Additionally, she was not going to let him force her on a dark path that he had mistakenly decided to follow. As that thought crossed her mind she remembered her last statement to him. _"I married Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Until he shows his face again, I will not open up that bond. A Sith does not deserve it."_

Aila's eyes scrunched in a pain filled grimace as she recalled this statement. The man who had just stormed out of the room had been Darth Avarik and not Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her husband would have never been as cold and callous as the Sith Lord had been.

To mock these thoughts another memory from her argument with the Sith came to the forefront of her mind. A few moments ago, Avarik's hand gently caressed her cheek while he softly apologized to her. _"I'm sorry."_

Aila slid her hand from her forehead to the spot the Sith had caressed. She still remembered the familiar brush of his fingertips. That gesture had not been from Avarik, but from Obi-Wan. In essence she was living with two men, one light and one dark, a man she loved and one she hated. She had just argued with Lord Avarik and closed her Force bond to hurt him, but at the same time she was also hurting Obi-Wan and that filled heart with regret.

Aila gave a weary sigh as she fought the urge to open her Force bond with her husband. She was struggling against the guilt that she had hurt Obi-Wan and the anger that Lord Avarik had used the Force to manipulate her. Additionally, Lord Avarik had practically threatened to continue to use the Force against her if she did not follow his wishes.

Silence permeated the room while Aila mulled things over. Deep in thought, she jumped in surprise when an unfamiliar male voice called out. "You know, he does love you."

"Who… who is that?" Aila asked shakily, scanning the room for the voice's source and growing more concerned when she could not find anyone.

"A friend to both you and Obi-Wan, even if he will not listen to me." The voice answered.

There was something familiar about the voice, but Aila could not recall its origin. Therefore, while she continued to scan the room for the voice's source, she repeated her previous question. "Who are you?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn, milady. Your husband's former mentor."


	8. Ch 7: Reconciliations

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay everyone, combination of factor. First, I injured my wrist and was in a brace for about a week, so I could only type very little. Second, real life has kept me busy. Thanks for reading.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Reconciliations**

Darth Avarik collapsed into a chair in his desolate strategy room, giving a long exasperated sigh. His left hand moved to his forehead, massaging it as his mind went to work at finding a solution to his problem with Aila.

It would be easy just to use his Force abilities to make her see things his way, but his conscience warred against him at that suggestion. He would have to find another way to make her retract her ultimatum. He felt a great void from the absence of her presence on their Force bond. His only solace was that he knew she was alive and well, but regardless, he did not want their bond to stay closed for long.

Aila had argued against his alliance with the Sith, but that was due to her colored view of the Jedi. Those movies she had seen a long time ago had portrayed the Jedi in a benevolent light rather than the traitorous murderers they were. In time, Avarik was sure Aila would see this and that through the Sith they could gain greater control over their lives, but at the moment she was startled and confused. Their lives had changed fairly rapidly and it would take her some time to adjust. He would help her get used to their new life, but she had to open up to him again.

She might claim to be angry about his allegiance to the Sith, but she had made it quite clear she was most infuriated by what he had done to her mother and father. Avarik agreed that he should have let her say goodbye to her parents, but he had been so overwhelmed by the news that Aila was carrying his son that it had overrode his judgment. He just wanted to get his family to safety and away from anyone who would try to split them apart once more.

Although he was remorseful for the methods he used, Avarik was not sorry he had taken Aila away from her parents. She was his wife and belonged with him, but it was obvious that he would have to apologize for this act to get in Aila's good graces. However, there was only one thing Avarik could do to ensure Aila would forgive him and that would require going off his ship.

For a moment he considered sending a clone on this mission, he even stood up from his chair and began walking towards the door to fetch someone for this task. However he stopped himself after taking two log strides. Aila would only accept this apology if he did it himself, so he was going to be forced to leave the ship. No one would dare enter his quarters, so as long as Aila stayed locked in there she would be all right. She was angry enough that she should do just that, but nonetheless Avarik would make sure his departure was a short one.

Resigning himself to this, Avarik opened his side of their Force bond up wide. It hurt to feel nothing coming from Aila, but in the event that she needed him he wanted to have that line of communication open with her. He then purposefully strode out of the room, back towards his quarters to check that the door was still closed to him.

Those quarters only consisted of one small room and a fresher. As the commanding officer on board the star destroyer, Avarik rated a larger living space. He had initially refused the extra space when he had thought Aila was dead, hating the loneliness he felt in a large empty room. However, now that he had found Aila and the fact that their family would be expanding; his current living quarters were not big enough.

Casting a wistful glance at the closed door, Avarik continued his journey through his ship. His ultimate destination was the landing bay that housed his starfighter, but he stopped on the bridge to give his crew new orders, for they could help in Avarik's plans for an apology to Aila. There were a set of vacant rooms in an upper level of the ship that could be a good home for his growing family, but they would need some modifications before they were ready.

"I want those six rooms ready before I have returned." Avarik stated to his officers after detailing what he wanted accomplished. "Send a detachment to Coruscant to retrieve the furniture from the apartment of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Senate Apartments and place it in those rooms. I plan on moving to the new location, but no one is to go near my current quarters while I am away."

"Understood, milord." The officers stated. They were mildly surprised their Sith commander wanted the furniture of a Jedi, their enemy, but they reasoned it would act as a trophy for their commander.

"Good. I will not be gone for long. See to it personally that those rooms are ready."

"It shall be done." The officers acknowledged with another bow.

Satisfied, Avarik turned to head towards his starfighter, but paused for a moment in the doorway of the bridge.

Noticing the Sith's sudden pause one lieutenant asked, "Is there something else, milord?"

"Yes…" Avarik stated over his shoulder. "Fill that room with red Nubian roses."

The young lieutenant quirked an eyebrow at this request, but his commanding officer left before he could be questioned about it. The entire request was odd for the Sith Lord, but neither the Lieutenant nor the rest of the crew questioned it. They just knew they needed to act quickly for no matter how strange the Sith's orders were, they did not want to anger him by not completing them.

* * *

"Qui-Gon!" Aila gasped, looking around for the ethereal voice. There was no sign of her husband's former master.

"Yes, milady." Qui-Gon answered.

"Where are you?" Aila queried, surprise still evident in her voice as she looked for the disembodied voice.

"All around you. I'm part of the living Force."

"Oh." Aila stated, not sure what else to say. She had known Qui-Gon had been dead long before she met her husband, but she had been too startled by the sound of his voice to have that information process in her mind.

"I've come to talk to you about your husband, my former padawan."

Aila cast her eyes to the floor while she murmured, "He's gone."

"Not completely." Qui-Gon countered. "Despite his dark tendencies he is still there. He just needs to be reached."

"But he won't listen to me." Aila struggled to keep her voice from cracking as she raised her head up to talk to the Force ghost.

"No, he won't listen to me. He still listens to you even though he does not show it."

"Like now." Aila scoffed, not hiding her disbelief. She sniffled slightly, an aftereffect of the tears she had shed earlier.

"No matter what you believe, he did hear you. I can tell you he spent quite some time rationalizing what you said with his current frame of mind. Sidious has slowly clouded his thoughts so he spends his time justifying his actions. Obi-Wan has convinced himself that the current path he is on is correct." Qui-Gon explained.

"Then he's not listening to me." Aila stated with a sigh.

"No, he does listen to you; he has just chosen a direction that will push your words aside to let him continue on his path. You'll have to trust me on this. He might not acknowledge me at the moment, but I do check up on him from time to time and he did listen to you. He just hasn't heeded your advice."

Aila rolled her eyes while slowly muttering, "Obviously."

Qui-Gon sighed. "He needs you and although you don't know it yet, you are going to need him too."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aila asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. She was still finding it odd that she was talking to a voice with no physical manifestation.

"You will find out in time. For your protection, I cannot reveal it."

"Protection? From Obi-Wan?" Aila queried, her brow furrowing.

"No, his Master, but that is not important right now. All you need to know is the Force is with you and steps have been put in place to protect you from the Sith." Qui-Gon answered cryptically.

Aila gave a frustrated sigh while raising a hand to massage her forehead. "Now I know where Obi-Wan gets his secrecy from."

"It cannot be helped, milady. You must trust me this is for the best. You must be protected for Obi-Wan's love for you is key to bringing him back to the light. No matter what he does, he loves you. The Sith twisted the notion of love in Obi-Wan's mind to force him to the dark side, but that same love can bring him back."

"But what am I supposed to do." Aila choked back a sob as she gazed hopelessly around the room.

"Just love him." Qui-Gon responded simply.

Aila sighed wearily, casting her eyes to the floor once more. "I do love him."

"Then don't shut him out of your life, he needs you." Qui-Gon answered.

Aila was silent for a moment, fighting back tears once more. It took her a moment to realize what Qui-Gon was suggesting. When her mind finished processing Qui-Gon's statement and she took in its implications, her head shot up abruptly as she disbelievingly said, "You want me to open up my Force bond with him again. I can't do that, he has to know I don't agree with him."

"I did not say to agree with him." Qui-Gon chided gently. "I said to love him." Qui-Gon paused for a moment and when Aila gave no rebuke he continued. "Obi-Wan needs to feel love from you. Just a few days ago he was wallowing in guilt and self pity, slipping further into darkness. The moment he found you that fall was momentarily halted."

"Then he kidnapped me and attacked my parents and he does not see anything wrong with that." Aila protested, her shoulders falling in defeat.

"He knows it is wrong." Qui-Gon countered. "As I said before he is focused on justifying this behavior. This is not going to be easy. Obi-Wan was hurt by the Jedi because he loved you. The Sith was able to twist this love to ensnare him in darkness. He is still stuck in that and he needs help to find his way out."

"So I am just supposed to forgive him and let him back into my life and agree to his whims?" Aila's eyes narrowed in indignation at the prospect that she was being asked to follow Obi-Wan's dark behavior.

"You do not have to follow him, but you can't shut him out. If you do that you'll just push him closer to Sidious because that is all he will have to turn to. Support the good in Obi-Wan, not the darkness. There is still a chance that he can be saved."

Although Aila's heart fluttered with hope at Qui-Gon's words, she still found it difficult to justify what he was asking her to do. "If I open up our Force bond, it will be conceding to him. It won't change anything."

"Not initially, but with time, things change. Obi-Wan will not return overnight. For every good day he has, there will be as many if not more bad ones. Sidious is not going to let his new apprentice leave without a fight."

Aila shuddered at Qui-Gon's mention of Obi-Wan's loyalties. She almost opened her mouth to protest again, but Qui-Gon cut her off. "You must choose what you think is right, milady. You know that you love him, and despite what he has done he loves you just as much. To win a great war, sometimes it is best to concede a minor defeat. One can then regroup to achieve the desired results."

Aila was silent, but her brow furrowed in stubborn defiance at this statement. Obi-Wan was wrong, not her. She might love him, but she could not support his allegiance with the Sith. Qui-Gon's suggestion seemed to go against her opposition to Obi-Wan's behavior.

Sensing Aila's stubborn resolve, Qui-Gon made one more statement before dispersing his presence through the Force. "Just think about what I said milady. No matter what your decision is, the Force will be with you."


	9. Ch 8: Signs of a Little One

**Chapter 8: Signs of a Little One**

Qui-Gon's words echoed through Aila's mind for the remainder of the morning. Although she tried to ignore it and hold to her convictions, she was finding it difficult to repress her own feelings. The truth was Qui-Gon was right. Although she was furious with Obi-Wan, she wanted to help him return to the light. She still had not lost complete hope and could not fathom that he was gone forever. If Darth Vader could be redeemed then she was sure Darth Avarik could cast away the darkness as well. However, she was reluctant to open up her Force bond after her argument with Avarik.

Deep down Aila knew one of them was going to have to concede defeat, but she wished it did not have to be her. She did not want it to seem like she condoned Avarik's behavior. However, every time she told herself that, one of Qui-Gon's warnings came to the forefront of her mind. _"…You can't shut him out. If you do that you'll just push him closer to Sidious because that is all he will have to turn to."_

The thought of helping Sidious sent a shiver down Aila's spine and a queasy sensation to her stomach. She placed a gentle hand on her stomach, trying to abate the sick feeling. As her stomach continued its attempt to rebel against her, Aila laid herself down against the pillows and tried to will her body to calm down. She knew that if the thought of Sidious controlling Obi-Wan could make her ill, she needed to reconsider her stance on continuing repressing their Force bond.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself, Aila ran through her options again while sizing the benefits and consequences of each. She was looking for any other solution to her dilemma, but none came. It was becoming more and more obvious that if she wanted to help Obi-Wan, then she would have to concede. However, she needed more time before going through with it.

She could have opened her Force bond then and there and called Obi-Wan to her side, but she wanted to face him when she did it. She sat up in bed, intent on leaving the small quarters to find him, but she slumped back against the pillows as another wave of nausea washed over her. Taking a few deep breaths she fought back the reflex to retch and closed her eyes once more.

Angry that her body was betraying her, Aila knew she could not get out of bed. So placing a hand on her stomach to try to quiet it once more, Aila gave a weary sigh and opened her Force bond wide to wait for her husband's arrival.

* * *

Avarik had just been finishing up the things he had to do for his apology to Aila. It had been a rather uncomfortable time for him and he was glad that it was almost over. It was not a perfect scenario, but it was the best Avarik could do given the circumstances. He just hoped it would be enough to sway Aila's opinion of him before he had to take more drastic measures.

However, Aila dispelled that notion when Avarik suddenly felt her open her Force bond wide. It was quite a pleasant shock when he could feel his wife's presence again and his heart beat with frenetic joy that she had forgiven him without his apology. Taking this as an excuse to leave, Avarik turned away from the awkward situation he had placed himself in and sprinted towards his starfighter. The angry couple he had just spoken with wanted to stop him, but there was little they could do to deter the Sith Lord as they were helpless against his powers. It was with heavy hearts and a few tears that Aila's parents watched their son-in-law return to their daughter.

Avarik tore out of Earth's atmosphere as fast as his ship could carry him. His excitement that Aila had forgiven him encouraged him to be more reckless than usual to get back to her side. However, that excitement faded when he got on the other side of the wormhole that took him to the galaxy he and Aila called home.

Overcome with the fact that his Force bond with Aila was opened again, Avarik had been too busy sending his own love and happiness over it to feel a sense of uncomfortable distress emanating from Aila. It was not until he had arrived back into his own galaxy that he had noticed Aila's unease and it made his eyes widen and heart flutter in fear.

"Aila, are you all right?" Avarik called over their bond as his fingers flew over his ships controls, inputting the calculations for the hyperspace jump that would take him back to his ship.

When Aila did not give an immediate response, Avarik cast caution aside and pushed his ship into hyperspace before the calculations were complete. He did not care about his own safety. His sole focus was on the well being of Aila and his unborn son.

* * *

Avarik pulled out of hyperspace a few feet from his Star Destroyer, and he would have smashed into its hull had his Jedi reflexes not been working with him. However, not being as graceful of a pilot as his former apprentice, Avarik did end up clipping the destroyer's hull causing a piece of his right wing to break off. Normally this would have brought a sense of dread and worry to Avarik, who did not enjoy flying, but he was too caught up in his worry for Aila to even notice what had happened to his ship.

His starfighter wobbled and shuddered as he flew it into the landing bay, but he managed to set it on the hard durasteel floor. Various members of Avarik's crew ran toward the ship to help their commanding officer. No one had suspected their commanding office would return so soon and when they had watched the Sith's ship come into view, they had scrambled to get ready for his arrival.

"Milord, are you all right?" A young captain breathlessly panted after having sprinted from the bridge to the landing bay.

Avarik did not answer as he leapt out of his starfighter and walked past his frenetic crew to his quarters.

"Milord?" The young captain called out, following closely at the Sith's heels.

Again, Avarik ignored his young crew member; instead he called out over his Force bond. "Aila are you all right?"

A wave of weariness flooded over Avarik from Aila as she weakly replied. "I'm… I'm okay. Where are you?"

"I'm coming. Hang on." Avarik stated, quickening his pace. He was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by the young captain again.

"Milord?"

Turning sharply, Avarik grabbed the young captain by the throat and glared at the young man. In response, the young captain's eyes widened in terror and he gasped for breath as his airway was constricted.

"I want a medical team on call." Avarik ordered with a growl. "Now!" He released the young officer, pushing him backwards.

The captain backpedaled before falling backwards on the floor as he spluttered, "Ye…yes, milord." He struggled to pull himself upright as he gasped for air.

"Good." Avarik growled again as he turned back towards his quarters. "See it is done."

After this, Avarik's trek back to his quarters was unimpeded until he reached his door.

"Mi… Mi… Milord." A young lieutenant who was visually trembling at the doorway stuttered.

"What is it?" Avarik barked, annoyed by this latest distraction from getting to Aila.

"Mi… mi... milord… th… the… rooms…." The lieutenant began.

"Lieutenant! Do not waste my time, what is it?" Avarik's eyes flashed dangerously causing the young officer's face to pale as he took a step backwards.

The young lieutenant had been ordered to break the bad news to the Sith lord as none of the other higher ranking officers wanted to do it. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time to be assigned this task and he feared what Avarik would do to him. This fear caused him to stutter once more. "Th… the… roo… rooms." As he watched Avarik's eyes change to a sickly amber color, the young lieutenant knew this was not going well and would not get any better, so he gritted his teeth and spat out the news. "The rooms you ordered are not ready yet."

"I want them ready tonight." Avarik stated tersely, pointing a finger menacingly at the young officer.

"But milord…."

Avarik cut the lieutenant off. "I want them finished. Not excuses. Double your efforts if you must, but complete them." Avarik then turned away from the young officer as he opened the door to his quarters. "See to it personally," he added over his shoulder before entering his quarters to see to Aila.

For his part, the young lieutenant took a deep sigh of relief that he managed to survive that encounter, but a new fear flooded through him as he realized this may only be a temporary reprieve if he failed the Sith. Trembling once more, he ran down the corridor shouting for clones to follow him upstairs to get the Sith Lord's new home ready.

* * *

"Aila!" Avarik called out, growing distressed when he did not see her in the bedroom.

"I'm in here." A miserable voice called out from the fresher.

Avarik immediately noticed the door to the fresher was cracked open and he quickly approached it and gently pushed it open. His gaze was drawn to the figure who was leaning heavily against the sink, willing her stomach to behave. Aila had not been sick, but she still felt like she was going to be. She had managed to drag herself out of bed and made her way to the fresher where she had tried to splash water on her face to cool herself off between dry heaves.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?" Avarik asked while stepping behind her. The Force rippled as he drew his left hand around her and rested it on her abdomen to check on his son.

"I don't know." Aila responded, leaning against her husband. She had things she wanted to tell him, but at the moment she was just glad to have him there to lean on. "I haven't been feeling well lately, but it comes and goes. I thought it was just because I was upset because I thought you were dead."

With a sad smile, Avarik leaned in and kissed Aila's cheek, whispering, "I missed you too."

This caused Aila to smile, despite her earlier anger with her husband. However, the moment was interrupted when another wave of nausea washed over her, causing Aila to double over the sink.

"Shh." Avarik whispered, gently running his left hand over her stomach, trying to soothe her. Again, the Force rippled as he checked on his son. He considered using the Force to calm Aila's rebelling stomach, but her words from their previous argument pulled him back. _"You will not use the Force on me again." _For now he'd abide by her wishes until she asked him for help.

Breathing heavily, Aila struggled to calm herself.

"Our son is fine at the moment, but you need to see a healer to make sure this is not something serious." Avarik murmured, pulling her back up against his chest as she settled down.

"I think…" Aila began, but her eyes narrowed in confusion as she changed course mid-sentence and asked, "What did you say?"

Avarik smiled as Aila's features dissolved into a look of surprise, and he gave her another quick kiss to her cheek before trailing his lips to her ear. "You need to see a healer, my goddess. Our son needs you to stay healthy."


	10. Ch 9: The Medical Scan

**A/N:** Just a note about this chapter. Initially, this is going to seem a bit mundane in nature. However, I could not cut it because it has some important points that will drive the plot later on. So there is more to this chapter than meets the eye. Read carefully. The introduction to this story has been rather long, but it is wrapping up so I should be able to start putting other characters besides Aila and Obi-Wan back into this story.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Medical Scan**

"A son?" Aila gasped, teetering slightly on her heels, her shock causing her to lean heavily against Avarik. Out of instinct, she placed her right hand over her abdomen as if she was trying to feel the little life growing within her.

Avarik smiled at the look of wonder that had spread across Aila's face. Gently scooping Aila up into his arms, he carefully took her out to the bedroom and laid her on the bed, sending a sense of calmness and love over their bond to soothe her until he could call for the healers.

Within moments of Avarik's summons, two harried looking healers knocked on his door. "Milord?" The two healers asked together. Both sounded winded having sprinted towards the Sith Lord's quarters, carrying all of their supplies. Neither wanted to be accused of dawdling after having seen and treated many of the Sith Lord's victims.

"Come in." Avarik stated curtly as he met the healers at the door and ushered them inside. Without sparing a look at the medical team, Avarik turned towards the bed Aila was resting on while he continued his instructions to them. "My wife is not feeling well. She is with child and I want a full scan run on her and my son.

The two healers paused in shock at the news that their commanding officer's wife was alive and pregnant. Many stories circulated among the crew as to the Sith's home life and the majority of personnel thought the Sith lived a solitary existence with only the new Emperor for company. None of the members of the crew had ever worked with Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even if they did it would be hard to believe that the hot tempered Sith had once been the noble Jedi. Having been at war the last few years, few on board had seen the holo reports extolling the Jedi's heroic acts while others figured Jedi Kenobi had been killed in the Sith's purges or soon would be as they continued to track down Jedi. Additionally, the crew had been too frightened of the Sith's wrath to research their commanding officer's origins.

Avarik sat beside Aila on the bed and gently ran his left hand down her cheek, neck, chest, until it settled on her abdomen. The familiar ripple in the Force that occurred every time he checked on his son took place again and it made him smile with pride.

Aila bit her lip with apprehension as she stared back at her husband. She had wanted a child for some time now and she and Obi-Wan had agreed that after the Clone Wars were over they would start their family. The war was now over, but given the outcome she was not sure if this was the right time to have children. With Obi-Wan's erratic behavior as a Sith Lord a part of her was not sure whether he could handle being a father. However, as he laid a warm hand gently over her abdomen, no darkness shone in his eyes, only love and excitement.

"Milady, can you please extend your arm?" One of the healers asked from the opposite side of the bed. Lost in her own thoughts, Aila had not noticed that the healers had begun their examination of her. "We need to take a blood sample to see if you are healthy. This… this may sting for a moment." The healer rushed out the last statement. Not sure how the Sith Lord would take this news. However, Avarik's attention was drawn to Aila and the tiny life he could feel growing within her rather than the medical team working beside her.

Aila did not fight the medical crew and extended her arm for them. There was nothing she could do to stop the baby's arrival. Despite her misgivings a part of her, like Obi-Wan, was excited by the news and she was anxious to find out whether her child was healthy.

While one healer plugged her blood sample into a compact datapad and watched as it ran its analysis, the other healer approached Aila with what looked like a gangly laser gun with a huge video display facing the doctor.

"What is that?" Aila asked, a hint of fear in her voice. She laid a protective hand over Obi-Wan's which was still resting on her abdomen. Noting her distress, Avarik turned his head sharply and glared menacingly at the healer.

The healer jumped back in fear as he saw the blue-green color of Obi-Wan's eyes fade to a sickly yellow. "It's… It's…." He stuttered and trembled as he tried to explain. "It's just a scanner so we can check on the baby. It is standard equipment, see." The healer then turned the device on himself and activated it so that it would scan his body. A second later, the large display screen indicated that he was not pregnant.

"Oh." Aila stated softly, while loosening her grip on Obi-Wan's hand. She had reflexively tightened her fingers around her husband's before the healer had given his explanation. "Sorry." Aila apologized. "I've never seen a device like that before."

The healer was relieved by Aila's answer, but more so when Avarik's eyes returned to their natural blue-green color. However, as this was obviously the couple's first child together the healer decided from now on he would explain everything in great detail before going through a procedure. He did not want to upset the young woman and therefore be on the receiving end of the Sith's anger.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the healer approached Aila and double checked that his scanner was ready. "Milord, I must ask that you remove your hand for a moment so that I can scan for the child. Otherwise all it will pick up is your hand."

Avarik complied, but rather reluctantly. He slid his fingers slowly off of Aila; drawing them across her body so that he could draw out the time he felt the ripple in the Force that was his son.

Not wasting a second, the healer placed his scanner over Aila's abdomen and activated it. However, rather than the immediate results he had received a moment before, the screen flickered before showing a series of nonsense numbers.

"What is it?" Avarik asked, noticing the healer's brow had furrowed.

"Nothing." The healer answered truthfully. "I got some unreadable data, I'll have to reset and try it again." As the healer went through this task he added, "It is odd, I've never had that happen before, but there is always a first for something."

A minute later, the healer activated the scanner again and the screen flickered again. For a moment he was worried that he would get the same garbled results, but suddenly the scanner seemed to cooperate and provided actual results.

Avarik's claims of a son were revealed to be true by the scan and showed that the child was in perfect health.

"So…." Avarik prompted after a prolonged silence from the healer.

"I can confirm that you are having a son, milord." The healer stated.

Avarik rolled his eyes a hint of irritation washing over him as he was told something he knew for himself.

"The baby is healthy." The healer continued.

"As is, milady." The other healer added, turning off the scanner he had been using to examine Aila's blood.

"She's been feeling nauseous." Avarik detailed his wife's symptoms as he raised a skeptical eyebrow at the medical team.

"And tired." Aila added with a yawn.

The healer that had checked her blood answered these two concerns. "These are both common during pregnancy. May I ask how frequently you feel nauseous?"

Aila shrugged. "It comes and goes."

"Is it worse when you eat?" The healer continued asking.

Again Aila shrugged. "Not really, but I haven't eaten much lately because of it, so I don't have a lot to judge on that."

Avarik's eyes widened in shock and he brought his left hand up to Aila's chin and tilted it up so she was forced to gaze into his eyes. "You have to eat, my goddess, for yourself and our son."

"Yes, your husband is right." The healer agreed. "It sounds to me you have a bad case of morning sickness, but we can give you a patch to wear. It has a mild medication in it that will help settle your stomach."

"Will it hurt the baby?" Aila and Avarik asked simultaneously.

The healer shook his head. "No, it won't harm the baby. However, you have to wear it between your shoulder blades, so you will need help putting it on."

"That won't be a problem." Avarik stated. "What about the tiredness she indicated?"

This time the healer that had scanned for the baby spoke up. "That is another common symptom during pregnancy. I recommend she take naps during the day and not over exert herself particularly as her pregnancy progresses. If she has gone several days without sleep I would recommend a healing trance."

"As would I." The other healer added.

Aila glared at the two healers and made sure her irritation seeped over to Avarik letting him know that she was still not going to let him use the Force on her, no matter what the healers suggested.

Inwardly, Avarik flinched at the emotions he felt emanating from Aila, but outwardly his face remained stony as he said. "Very well. You two are dismissed."

"Thank you, milord." The two healers stated with a bow and quickly gathered up their things. Before they left, they handed a large box of anti-nausea patches to Aila. Both healers were surprised by the vindictive glare Aila was flashing them. She had seemed nice enough when they were examining her and they did not know what they had done to evoke such a response from her. Not wanting to face the Sith's anger in response to his wife's feelings, the medical team worked as fast as they could to leave the couple alone.


	11. Ch 10: The Stubborn Sith

**Chapter 10: The Stubborn Sith and His Equally Stubborn Wife**

Once they were alone, Avarik took the box of anti-nausea patches from Aila and opened them. "I can help you put this on and then after your stomach settles we can have lunch together. You should rest for a while, before then."

Aila glared at her husband before giving him an angry retort. "I don't care what the healers said. You are not using the Force on me."

Avarik let out a weary sigh. "Why must you be so stubborn?"

"Stubborn!" Aila's eyes flashed dangerously as she continued. "If I'm stubborn, what does that make you? It was your stubborn pride that brought us to where we are today."

"And I would say we are better off for it." Avarik countered, his tone indicating he was not changing his opinion.

"Darth Avarik would say that, not Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi." Aila voiced her own belief, locking her eyes with Avarik's.

Avarik's eyes flashed amber for a brief second before he reined in his emotions. However, there was a hint of irritation in his voice when he replied to her. "You'll find, my goddess, that we are one in the same. In time you'll see that."

Aila shook her head, "No, in time you will see that I am right."

Avarik sighed again, for most of their married life Aila and him had rarely fought, but it seemed like that was all they had done since they had been reunited. "Did you open up our Force bond just so you could fight with me?"

A wave of guilt washed over Aila as she felt a sense of sadness and pain emanate from her husband's side of the bond. She dropped her gaze from his eyes to her lap and meekly whispered. "No."

Avarik smiled warmly. "Then you've forgiven me."

"No." Aila replied with a shake of her head, still not looking up at her husband.

The happy bubble of confidence that had filled Avarik's heart burst at Aila's reply. He had thought he had won their little fight and finding out otherwise was a shock. He struggled to keep his tone even as he spoke. "Th… Then why open up our Force bond?"

Aila raised her head so she was staring up at him; her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Because, no matter how angry I am with you, I still love you. You are my husband and I can't imagine life without you."

Although it wasn't the victory he had initially imagined, Aila's words made Avarik's heart soar and he placed the box of patches down next to him and gently pulled his wife into his arms, holding her close to him. "I love you too." He whispered softly in her ear.

There was a long pause where neither Aila nor Avarik said anything; they just clung to one another.

"Where were you?" Aila was the first to break the silence.

"Hmmm?"

"It took you a while to get here after I opened the Force bond, where were you?"

Avarik pulled back from her and fumbled with the front of his tunic. "I was not onboard the ship…."

"Where were you?" Aila persisted, interrupting Avarik before he could finish his sentence. She was surprised that he had left the ship. As of late, he had been very protective of her and it seemed odd that he would have left without her. She had been and still was angry with him, but had their argument driven him away? She shuddered as she recalled her conversation with Qui-Gon Jinn. _"…You can't shut him out. If you do that you'll just push him closer to Sidious because that is all he will have to turn to."_ Had her husband gone to his Master after their fight?

Avarik pulled out a tiny data recorder from the inside of his robes and turned it on as he held it out to Aila. He smiled when he heard her audible gasp. "I was on Earth, assuring your parents that you were all right and apologizing for my actions."

Aila watched the recording of Avarik's apology with mixed emotions. Avarik's tone was terse and clipped and was not very remorseful. He simply told her parents that she was all right and that he was sorry their last meeting had turned out the way that it had. Aila was about to scoff at the apology, when the tone of Avarik's voice on the recorder became softer. "My only thought was to protect your daughter. She had already been taken from me once; I could not lose her again. She is my reason for living. I love her."

Aila wanted to be angry at Avarik, his initial apology had not been heartfelt. However, that last part was not the words of Darth Avarik, Dark Lord of the Sith, they came from her husband, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Just as she had hoped and Qui-Gon had reassured her, deep down there was still good in her husband. Caught up in this thought, Aila did not hear the additional terse words that were exchanged between Avarik and her parents; she had heard all that she needed. Silence hung between her and Avarik when the recording finally ended.

"I still do not approve of how you handled the situation with my parents." Aila stated calmly after Avarik gently took right hand in his left. "There was a better way to handle that." Aila wanted to make sure Avarik understood her disappointment in him.

Avarik's shoulders slumped in defeat and he let his hand fall away from hers.

"But…" Aila paused while she gently lifted Avarik's hand into her own. Her actions drew his blue-green eyes up to lock with hers. "I love you and I can't push you away for this."

A wide grin formed across Avarik's face and in response to Aila's statement he leaned in and captured her lips with his own, overjoyed that he had his goddess back.

* * *

Aila and Avarik's kiss ended with a tense silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. Trying to break the awkward moment between the two of them, Avarik searched for something to do. In the end, he grabbed the box of anti-nausea patches the healers had given Aila. "If you turn around I'll place one of these on you. Then I'll get us something to eat. You must be hungry."

"Okay." Aila replied, sitting up and turning her back towards her husband. She lifted up the plain nightgown she had been wearing since he "abducted" her and lifted it so her husband could apply the patch.

"I've ordered that your wardrobe be shipped here, but it has not arrived yet." Avarik stated as he ran his flesh hand over Aila's back, he was careful not to touch her with the metal monstrosity that was now his right hand. That metal hand was a token from his failure on Mustafar. He was unable to best his former apprentice and had lost Aila for brief period of time. All of his durasteel appendages were a token of failure in protecting Aila and he was ashamed of them. His only consolation was that he had found Aila despite Anakin's deceit. He just had to make sure he did not repeat his mistakes and lose her again. No Jedi would ever harm her again as long as he harnessed his new dark powers and all would pay for their crimes against him. Specifically, he would ensure Anakin Skywalker paid the ultimate price for his betrayal in allying himself with the treacherous Jedi.

"Obi-Wan?" Aila called out over her shoulder, not sure what had delayed him in applying the patch.

The use of his former name shook Avarik out of his murderous train of thoughts. "One second, my goddess." He stated to cover up his hesitancy. He then held one of the anti-nausea patches in his metallic hand while he used his left hand to smooth it out between Aila's shoulder blades. The feel of her smooth skin under his fingertips made his body ache with a need to touch her more, but given their recent argument he was not sure if she would let him.

Reluctantly, Avarik removed his hand from Aila's skin and stated, "Finished."

"Thank you." Aila responded simply before replacing her nightgown and turning back to face him. Again an awkward silence fell between the husband and wife that was only broken when Avarik stood up from his position on the bed.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a moment with something to eat." Avarik did not give Aila a chance to say anything to this as he exited the room in a rush to complete his task.

* * *

Aila was not sure what to do with the wall that had seemed to have formed between her and her husband. Right now, their conversation was forced and stunted as they tried to find something to say to one another. The last time she had felt this awkward around her husband had been before they were married when she had been trying to hide her growing attraction to him.

"What can I say to him?" Aila sighed as she searched her mind for an answer. One of her biggest complaints with Obi-Wan was that he had not confided his hurt and distress with her and had done his best to conceal it over the last few years. Now she knew that if she could not start a line of open conversation with him, she would be hard pressed in helping him throw off the shackles of the dark side.

Aila struggled to think of a neutral topic of conversation, but luckily for her one presented itself when Avarik returned a few minutes later. Avarik came into the room, carrying two trays of food and using the Force so that four more trays floated behind him. All the trays were overfilled with different dishes of food. The sight made Aila break into a fit of laughter.

"Obi-Wan, I'm pregnant, not starving." Aila stated between fits of giggles.

"You are eating for two, my goddess. You must keep up your strength." Avarik replied with a shrug as he set all the trays on the bed before her and took up a spot by her side.

"Yes, but this is enough food for 12 people!"

Avarik looked around at the trays and his eyes began to twinkle with mirth as he seemingly just came to the realization of what he had done. He started to laugh himself. "Well, you said you had not been eating."

"Yes, but I could not eat this much food on a good day." Aila continued to laugh as she pulled an Alderaanian stew towards her.

The couple continued to laugh as they settled in to their lunch, but afterwards they broke into an easy conversation. They spoke of memories from their past, rather than the current issues that were bothering them. However, the moment of levity did get them talking with one another, again.


	12. Ch 11: Baby Names

**Chapter 11: Baby Names**

After their meal, Avarik placed the trays of food, most of which were still full, outside of his quarters for a member of his crew to discard. He then resettled himself on the bed next to Aila. She was sitting to his left and he draped an arm over her and pulled her in close to him. His fingers trailed down her body until they rested on her abdomen. He smiled as he felt the familiar ripple in the Force.

Aila rested her head against Avarik's shoulder. "We'll need to think of a name for the baby."

Avarik considered this for a moment searching his mind for the right name, but he could not think of anything. "I have no ideas, what do you think we should name him?"

Aila shrugged before suggesting. "We could name him after you, or someone special to you."

Avarik gave a slight chuckle. "There is only one person who is special to me, and "Aila" is not an appropriate name for our son."

Aila gave her own snort of laughter before responding, "You know that is not what I meant."

"Well, then what do you suggest?" Avarik asked while affectionately rubbing his cheek against the top of Aila's head.

"Well…" Aila pause to think for a moment. "How about Obi-Wan Jinn Kenobi?"

Avarik stiffened at Aila's suggestion. "His name would be Avarik not Kenobi."

Aila lifted her head from Obi-Wan's shoulder and looked up with him. "You are Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"That name no longer has any meaning to me." Avarik replied automatically, his eyes staring blankly at the wall opposite them and not at Aila.

Aila bristled slightly as she sat up and turned fully so she could stare at her husband. She brought her hands to cup his face and draw his gaze towards her. "I told you once already, I married Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, not Darth Avarik Dark Lord of the Sith. As such, I am the Lady Kenobi, and our son…"

Before Aila could finish her argument Avarik interrupted her. "You are now the Lady Avarik and will be addressed as such in public."

"I won't answer to it." Aila scoffed.

Avarik placed his left index finger to her lips. "Yes, you will, my stubborn goddess. My change in title requires you to change as well. We cannot and will not be associated with the treacherous Jedi anymore."

Aila's eyes narrowed in a scowl. "I am not changing my name, and our son will not share the name of a Sith Lord. He should be named after great and noble Jedi. Obi-Wan for his father and Jinn for Qui-Gon Jinn, his father's mentor."

"Qui-Gon would have joined me. He never agreed with the Council." Avarik countered.

"Just because he did not agree with the Council does not mean he would have joined the dark side…."

Anger bubbled within Avarik as he interrupted Aila once more. "How do you know? You never knew him?"

Aila shrugged. "No, I didn't know him, but I talked to him today and I can tell he would never join the Sith."

Avarik quirked an eyebrow in skepticism. "You talked to him? But he's dead!"

Aila rolled her eyes, not hiding her own irritation. "I know that! But you of all people should know that the Force is complex and…"

"The dead cannot come back and talk to us, it would be part of Jedi or Sith teachings if we could."

Aila threw up her hands in exasperation. "Did you not pay attention when I showed you those movies all those years ago?" She paused for a moment as her eyes trailed up and down her husband's frame. "Well… given current circumstances I'd say no, so here is a refresher. At the end of that last movie the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn spoke to Master Yoda."

"Maybe, but those movies did not show the Jedi for the enemies that they are, so they weren't accurate." Avarik countered. "Believe me, if Qui-Gon Jinn could speak beyond the grave I would know. You must have been hallucinating from lack of sleep."

Aila rolled her eyes. "I was not hallucinating! I spoke to him! Just because you don't listen to him doesn't mean he's not around."

"I do listen, Aila. Believe me; I know he's not there. I wish he was, but that is not going to bring him back."

Aila glared back at Avarik, fully aware that he was not going to budge on this issue. It frustrated her that he did not believe her. She silently pleaded for Qui-Gon to make his presence known to prove that she was right.

"He's dead, Aila." Avarik repeated sharply. "No amount of pleading is going to bring him back."

"Quit reading my thoughts!" Aila shouted back.

Avarik shrugged nonchalantly as he casually replied, "Don't project them over our bond."

"Fine!" Aila shouted, losing her temper. "If you don't like the name Obi-Wan, then I can choose another Jedi. How about Anak…"

Avarik raised his right hand and menacingly pointed his right index finger at Aila as he growled. "Do not say that name. He stole you from me and I am not going to honor that by naming my son after him. No son of mine will be named after that betrayer."

Aila jumped slightly in surprise at the harshness of her husband's tone. For a moment she was preparing to spit an equally angry retort back at him, but then her eyes widened as she took in the sight of his hand. For years, the fingertips of Obi-Wan's right hand had caressed her face and body, but now that piece of flesh was gone and replaced with a golden colored, durasteel appendage. She knew that he had been physically injured on Mustafar, but this was the first time she got to see some sign of those injuries.

Avarik took a few deep breaths as he glared at Aila, trying to calm himself down. He had not realized what he had done until he noticed Aila was not staring into his eyes, but at his metal appendage.

* * *

Avarik abruptly pulled his hand away and tried to hide it within his robes.

"Don't hide it." Aila admonished him. "Let me see it."

"It's not important." Avarik mumbled tersely, pushing his hand behind himself.

"Yes, it is." Aila began with a scowl, but before she could finish her retort Avarik interrupted her.

"No, it isn't!" Avarik barked out sharply. "Can you give the arguing a rest?"

"Never!" Aila declared, a defiant gleam in her eye.

Avarik released a weary sigh, his left hand raising up to massage his forehead.

Sensing an opportune moment by her husband's silence, Aila added, "But I might be willing to give you a momentary reprieve if you agree to let the baby have the last name of Kenobi."

Avarik gave another sigh as he said, "Can we discuss this later?"

"Yes." Aila agreed. "But just know, I am not going to change my mind on this."

"Stubborn, goddess." Avarik mumbled.

"Stubborn Sith." Aila repeated right back. She was teasing her husband to keep him talking even though she was still riled up by their previous argument.

A slight smile formed at the corners of Avarik's lips in response to Aila's retort and he dropped his left hand from his forehead, and gestured for Aila to sit next to him.

"We were having an important discussion." Aila refused Avarik's request for her to snuggle into his embrace by crossing her arms over her chest and staying in her place.

"Yes, but we have plenty of time to come up with a name for our son."

"But…" Aila began.

Avarik stopped Aila's protest by leaning over and gently grabbing one of the arms she had crossed over her chest to pull her towards him. "Neither of us are going to agree on this today, we have made that quite clear. I am tired of arguing with you. That is all we seem to do lately. I just got you back after I thought you were dead and all I want to do is spend some time with you." There was a hint of a plea in Avarik's voice that tore at Aila's heart.

She wanted to stay angry at him, but deep down she did not want to argue with him either. After feeling so lonely at the thought that he had perished on Mustafar, she found the thought of spending some time with him pleasing. She would have preferred his agreement to her wishes about the baby's name, but Qui-Gon had warned her that her husband would not easily sway from darkness. Perhaps a momentary cease fire would be good for both of them.

Avarik was pleased when Aila capitulated to his request and he was able to turn her into his arms so that her head was resting on his chest. "Just rest with me, my goddess. I will protect you." He then snaked his left hand around her and gently laid it on her abdomen. He murmured a whispered, "Both of you," when he felt the familiar ripple in the Force.

* * *

Aila did her best to fight her exhaustion, but with her husband's warm body pressed against her and the silence that lingered between them her eyes drooped until she fell asleep against Avarik's shoulder.

Although he knew she would be furious if she ever found out, Avarik used the Force to lull her into a light healing trance. Although Aila had protested his use of the Force on her, she did need her strength if both her and the baby were to remain healthy. Despite the heated argument they had just had, she looked pale and tired as if she had not slept at all over the last few weeks that they had been separated. She might not like his use of the Force on her, but in the end he felt she needed it.

Avarik hoped more sleep would also stop the hallucinations she claimed she had been having. It worried him that she was hearing the voice of his dead Master, an impossible feat. However, there was a part of him that wished he could speak with him, too.

With a wistful exhalation, Avarik mumbled his former Master's name. He frowned when he received no answer, disappointed that he did not get a response, although he was not surprised. However, his sadness was momentarily lifted when under the palm of his hand he felt the ripple in the Force that he had grown accustomed to feeling when checking on his son. Deciding to let his feelings of melancholy go, Avarik shifted Aila so she could lay more comfortably in his arms and leaned his own head back as he simply enjoyed being near her.

* * *

A few hours later, Avarik was shaken from the nap he had settled into by a sharp knock at his door. Grumbling, Avarik shifted Aila so she could lie against the pillows, while he went to answer the door.

"What!" Avarik barked, startling the young officer, who had met him at his door earlier.

"Mi… mi…milord." The officer stuttered, trembling in fear as the Sith's eyes flashed dangerously.

"What is it?" Avarik barked again, irritated by the fearful crew member.

"Milord… your rooms are ready." The young officer continued to tremble as he waited for a response from the Sith. He was relieved that the color in Avarik's eyes softened.

"Very good. Has the furniture been placed?"

"It is being brought up from a small cargo ship now."

"Excellent work Lieutenant. You shall be commended." Avarik praised.

The young officer gave a wide smile and loudly exhaled a sigh of relief. "Is there anything else you require, milord?"

"Only that I do not wish to be disturbed by anything for the rest of the day. I need to show my wife her new home and then we need some time alone."

"Very well, milord." The young officer stated with a bow, feeling even better now that he was being dismissed.

"You are dismissed for the evening, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, milord." The young officer stated with another bow before backing out of the doorway. He scurried as fast as he could, away from the Sith's presence before the Dark Lord could change his mind.

* * *

Turning back to Aila's sleeping form on the tiny bed, Avarik flashed a warm smile as he called both his Sith and old Jedi lightsabers to him and secured them on his belt. It seemed a bit silly to have the other lightsaber, but something unexplainable drove Avarik to keep it. He told himself he was keeping it to appease Aila, but if he examined his feelings more closely, he would have realized there was more to it than that.

The rest of the items in the room could be transferred to his new quarters later. He just wanted to move Aila as quickly as possible. Still in her healing trance, she did now wake up as Avarik scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their new home.

Avarik had almost reached the sanctity of his new living space, but was stopped by the sound of footsteps running behind him. Avarik turned to face the approaching figure, only to find it was the young lieutenant from before. "I thought I told you I wanted to be left alone."

"Yes…" The young officer panted. "But you have a message on the comm."

"Take a message, it can wait until morning." Avarik stated, turning back towards the door to his new quarters and slowly waving his hand so the Force could open it for him.

"Yes, but…." The young officer was still breathless from having run the entire way to meet the Sith Lord. He did not know why he kept getting caught in the bad situations where he was always sent to bring the Sith news.

"No, Lieutenant. I will not be disturbed." Avarik cast a wistful smile at Aila as he stepped inside his room. "I have more important things to attend to."

"But…." The young officer began, but was cut off by Avarik's door sliding shut. "But…" He repeated again to the closed door biting his lip in trepidation as he considered his options. Unfortunately, Avarik had made his orders quite clear and ignoring them could be fatal. However, as the young Lieutenant strode away in defeat, he did wonder if Avarik would have changed his mind had the young officer been given a chance to tell him who was calling. It was not every day that the young Sith was contacted by the Emperor.


	13. Ch 12: The Emperor's Threat

**Chapter 12: The Emperor's Threat**

"What do you mean he is too busy to talk to me?" The image of the Emperor Palpatine hissed angrily at the young Lieutenant who had returned to the communications room without his apprentice.

"Mi…Milord." The young lieutenant trembled. "I… I tried to tell him, but he would not listen to me. He… he threatened to kill any of us who tried to disturb him."

"And what exactly is he doing that is so important?" The Sith Lord's eyes flashed dangerously in growing irritation.

"Well… um… I… uh…."

"Lieutenant!" The Emperor snapped in impatience.

"It's his wife, she's…."

"His wife!" The image of the Emperor visibly took a step back in surprise as he interrupted the young officer. "Aila has returned?"

The young lieutenant shrugged his shoulders in confusion. "I do not know what her name is, all I know…."

"What does she look like?" The Emperor interrupted the young officer again, trying to confirm Aila's identity. He had suspected that she had not been killed, but he had hoped she would have remained in her hiding spot until his agents had a chance to kill her themselves.

"I do not know, milord. I only got a brief glimpse of her. Very few have seen her. Lord Avarik has already killed a few who have been to close to her. He is very protective of her."

The Emperor raised a gnarled hand to silence the young man's ramblings. "It's Aila. He would only take such precautions with Aila." With the end of his statement, Sidious closed his eyes and called upon the Force to show him the potential ramifications of this news. He was surprised he had not felt a shift in the Force warning him about this, but perhaps he had been distracted by his own celebration of the control he now had over the galaxy.

"Your highness?" The young lieutenant tentatively prompted the galactic ruler after a long silence.

Darth Sidious knew that with Aila's return to her husband's side he would need to act quickly and discreetly if he was to retain control over his new apprentice and subsequently the galaxy. The woman's presence could potentially spur his young apprentice to take power for himself. When Avarik had thought she was dead, his sorrow, guilt, and despair had been powerful tools in suppressing the young Sith's desire to overthrow his Master for power. Avarik had become a drone like servant in his grief. Now, Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious Dark Lord of the Sith, would have to work fast to eliminate Aila and wipe away any aspirations Lord Avarik had for overthrowing him.

"Milord?" The young lieutenant prompted again as the Emperor remained lost in thought.

The sound of the young officer's voice momentarily shook Sidious out of his musings. He had forgotten he still had the line of communication open while his mind worked to plot out Aila's demise. Eager to return to that task, the Emperor gave a curt set of instructions to the young officer. "When Lord Avarik is available, tell him to contact me, immediately."

"It will be done, mi…. milord." The young lieutenant stated with a bow. His body trembled with the hint of a growl that was in the Galactic leader's voice.

The Emperor did not respond to this, he simply cut the communication channel and with a flick of his dark cloak turned back towards his throne. He ran one gnarled hand over his scarred visage as he lost himself once more in his dilemma. Aila had to be disposed of, but he could not be linked to it. He could never control his apprentice if he was linked with Aila's death, so deception and deceit would be required.

An evil smirk tugged at his mouth as an idea formed in his mind. "Guards!" He barked as he used the Force to open the doors at the far side of the throne room. Immediately, two red robed Imperial guards ran towards their Master and knelt before him.

"Yes, milord." Both guards echoed.

With a malicious grin and a twinkle in his yellow eyes, Sidious murmured, "I have a job for you."

* * *

Unconsciously, Aila snuggled back against the warmth of her husband as her sleep fogged brain slowly began to regain consciousness.

"Good morning." Avarik mumbled in her ear before planting a light kiss to the side of her neck as he woke up from a restful slumber.

With a content sigh, Aila echoed back, "Good morning."

"Are you hungry?" Avarik asked. "We can have breakfast together before I start working."

For a moment, Aila visualized a scene where Obi-Wan would leave their Coruscant apartment to join Anakin at the Jedi Temple. However, this image was quickly dissolved by memories of a fiery planet and the pain that it brought. With a gasp, she shot up in bed, willing the painful memories to be a nightmare, but as she glanced around an unfamiliar room she realized the nightmare was very much real.

"What's wrong?" Avarik's voice did not hide his concern as he sat up next to Aila and wrapped his arms around her.

Aila could think of several answers to her husband's question, but she ended up asking one that would not cause another fight. "Where are we?"

Avarik's concern faded into a smile as he gave Aila a quick peck on the cheek. "Our new living quarters aboard my Star Destroyer. We won't have to be separated anymore when I am on missions."

As Aila gazed around the bedroom she noticed that all the furniture from the bedroom of their Coruscant apartment had been brought onboard and she and Obi-Wan were now sitting on the same bed they had been sharing for years.

"We won't be separated." Avarik continued. "You, me…." His hand slid down to rest on Aila's abdomen as he added, "Our family."

At first, Aila smiled at the prospect of being with her husband, her mind once again conjuring images of the noble Jedi Knight spending time with the ones he loved. She had to shake herself from these illusions and forcibly remind herself that she was on an Imperial Star Destroyer and her husband was not a Jedi anymore.

Feeling Aila tremble in his arms, Avarik's happiness dissolved into concern once more. "What's wrong?"

Aila wanted to laugh at her husband's question. Everything was wrong, but she knew he would not listen to that.

"What's wrong?" He repeated once more, turning Aila in his arms so that she could look at him.

"Is…" Aila began to respond as Avarik tilted her face up to stare into his blue-green eyes. The love that shone in those eyes and emanated over their Force bond did not belong to a Sith and she found her response even more difficult to make because of it. "Is it safe to raise a family on a Star Destroyer?"

Avarik flashed a warm smile as he replied, "I'll make sure of it." He then leaned in and captured Aila's lips in a tender kiss.

Aila's fears were not subdued by this response and she tried to respond after Avarik pulled away from the kiss, but he had more to add. "This is only temporary until I oust my Master, which should not take long, I am stronger than him."

"Obi-Wan." Aila whispered with a hint of anguish as her husband continued to promise things she did not want.

"Then you and I will rule the galaxy. Our son heir to it all."

Aila's eyes dropped to her lap as she mumbled, "I don't want that."

"With time, you will, my goddess." Avarik responded confidently as he tugged on her hand. He knew another argument was brewing between them and he wanted to distract Aila from it. "Come with me, I'll show you our new home."

* * *

Six large conference rooms had been converted into the nine smaller rooms of Aila and Avarik's new home. Their bedroom was setup similarly to their Coruscant apartment, except there were no windows to the outside. The room was square shaped with a small fresher to the right hand side, and two large closets to the left. One was filled with Aila's clothes and several new outfits she had never seen, while the other closet was barely filled with the few articles of clothing her husband owned.

Exiting their bedroom, Avarik steered Aila into another room. At the moment, it was fairly empty except for a heavy wooden table and a couple of dinette chairs in it. The table top was covered with several bouquets of red Nubian roses. The flowers would have made Aila smile as they were her favorite, but now she would have preferred to give them up if it would turn her husband back to the light side of the Force.

Sensing distraction from Aila as she absently gazed around the room, Avarik continued to speak about their new home. "You can decorate any way you would like. If you want me to move the furniture, let me know." Avarik stated before pulling Aila into a small kitchenette to their right. They were moving so fast, that Aila barely had time to get a feel for their new home. Similar to the other rooms, they did not linger in the kitchenette for long. However, it was identical to the one they had on Coruscant, so in relation to the other rooms it was not important.

When they reentered the room with the lone table, roses, and dinette chairs, Aila saw two doors on the opposite end of the room. "What are those?" She asked.

"I'm saving those for last." Avarik stated happily as he guided her to a door to their right. Aila then found herself in a large sitting room that housed the sofa and holoscreen from their apartment. The holoscreen was on the left wall with the sofa facing it. On Coruscant, these few items would have filled their sitting room, but now they looked fairly lonely in this room that was double the size of its Coruscant counterpart.

Along the wall opposite them was a door out of their new home and into the halls of the Star Destroyer. Towards the right were doors to two additional rooms. Starting with the room further into the interior of their new home, Aila spotted a small fresher. The second room held a small comm. system and a desk with various datapads scattered across it. "An office for myself, so I can stay close to you." Avarik explained. Normally Aila would have been pleased to see this room, but since her husband was now working for the Sith rather than the Jedi, it only caused her to frown.

Oblivious to Aila's feelings of discomfort because he was excited about the final rooms he was going to show her, Avarik moved Aila back into the room with the roses and towards the two doors they had not explored yet. "And now I have a surprise for you."

Avarik waved his hand over the first door, using the Force to open it.

"It's empty." Aila stated as she glanced inside.

"Yes, it is a spare room for anything we think we need, but the next room is better." Avarik stated as he closed the door and stepped toward the last unexplored room. "Close your eyes." He instructed Aila.

Aila rolled her eyes impatiently. "Just show me."

"Close your eyes." Avarik repeated his earlier instruction while flashing a brilliant smile.

Aila sighed while she complied. They had more important things to argue about than this.

Once Aila's eyes were closed, Avarik wave his hand over the door to open it and guided Aila inside. He used the Force to turn on the lights in the room as he positioned Aila in its center. He then stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, gently laying his left hand over her abdomen so he could feel the now familiar ripple in the Force.

"Can I open my eyes?" Aila asked impatiently as she felt herself being pulled into her husband's chest.

"Yes." Obi-Wan whispered in her right ear as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

Aila's eyes opened slowly to a room decorated in light shades of blue. Despite the fact that there was no furniture, she smiled as she gazed around the room fully aware of its purpose.

"A room for our son." Avarik murmured as his left hand slowly caressed Aila's abdomen where their child was growing.

Aila had mixed emotions as she gazed around the room. She was glad that her husband was excited about their baby and had made a spot for them in their new home. However, she also feared for her child's future with Obi-Wan's allegiance to the Sith.

"Do you not like it?" Avarik asked as he could feel Aila's wariness over their Force bond.

"Yes…. It's… it's wonderful." Aila answered halfheartedly, trying to force a smile on her face.

"But?" Avarik prompted Aila to explain her hesitation, but he was prevented from receiving an answer when they heard a chime indicating someone was at their front door. "We'll talk about this over breakfast. Go fix something while I take care of this."

"Okay." Aila replied meekly as she stepped out of her husband's embrace and followed him out of the baby's room. She barely noticed him walking into their sitting room to greet their visitor. Her thoughts were occupied with trying to think of a way to turn her husband from the dark side. Qui-Gon had warned her it would take time and patience before Obi-Wan would return to the light side of the Force, but now that she was starting to see the ramifications this could have for their child she was almost frantic to find a solution to this problem.


	14. Ch 13: Orders to Coruscant

**Chapter 13: Orders to Coruscant**

Aila rummaged around her new kitchenette, preparing a light breakfast for herself and her husband. She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she barely noticed what she was doing Only after the multiple bouquets of roses had been cleared from the table adjacent to the kitchenette and two glasses of blue milk and two bowls of Nubian grains were placed upon it did she begin to take notice of her surroundings. It was then that she realized that it had been several minutes since Avarik had gone to answer the door and he had not returned, yet.

Curious as to what had detained her husband, Aila rose from the chair she had claimed as her own and moved towards the door that would lead her to their sitting room. However, before she could open that door, an ethereal voice called her back.

"He has been contacted by the Emperor and is in his office." The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn explained. "You, milady, do not need to be a part of that."

Aila stepped back in a combination of surprise and revulsion. Surprise at hearing Qui-Gon's voice and revulsion at the thought of what her husband was doing. "He wants to overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy."

"A common aspiration for Sith." Qui-Gon acknowledged.

"He's going to get himself killed, I have to stop him." Aila steeled herself as her shoulders straightened and she took a step towards the door, determined to reach her husband.

"No!" Qui-Gon's voice called out sharply. "The Emperor is already aware that you are alive and he is most displeased by this. Do not give him the opportunity to hurt you and subsequently Obi-Wan. No good will come from that."

"If the Emperor knows I am alive, then why not join Obi-Wan's side?" Aila countered.

"The less the Emperor sees of you, the better. He does not know about the baby yet, and having you near Obi-Wan might reveal that fact."

Aila shook her head, "I'm only a few weeks pregnant, I am not showing yet."

"This is true." Qui-Gon conceded before adding, "But, body language can say a lot and Obi-Wan has a tendency to place a protective hand over your abdomen. The Sith might not recognize this gesture, but do you want to take that chance?"

Aila gave out a sigh of defeat as she placed her own hand over her abdomen, reflexively protecting her child from the possible threat Qui-Gon was insinuating.

After a moment's silence where Aila remained motionless before the door, Qui-Gon suggested, "Sit down milady, Obi-Wan's meeting will end shortly."

"Just in time for you and me to talk some sense into him." Aila muttered bitterly.

"Not I, milady. You. But, know that he is not going to agree with you at first. I told you before this would not be an easy process."

Aila gently rubbed her forehead in frustration. "He won't listen to me. He even told me I was hallucinating when I said I had spoken with you."

A hint of sadness entered Qui-Gon's voice. "That is because he has chosen to ignore me. He has convinced himself that the few times I have been able to reach him have just been figments of his imagination. He needs someone of flesh and blood to show him what is right. He needs you, milady."

"I don't want to rule the galaxy at his side. I just want him back to the way he used to be." Aila sighed as she wiped away a bit of moisture from her eyes.

"The Sith will not readily give up his power. Obi-Wan has not realized how difficult the task he is setting for himself is. Rest assured you will not be Empress anytime soon."

Aila glanced up at the ceiling in a combination of irritation and frustration that was projected in her voice. "But that does not solve Obi-Wan's problem."

"No, but only time, patience, and support from you can bring Obi-Wan back to the light."

* * *

"Master?" Avarik asked in form of greeting, as he knelt before the image of Darth Sidious. 

"It is good of you to take time out of your celebrations to contact me, Lord Avarik." Sidious paused for a moment as an evil smile spread across his deformed face. "I have heard you found Aila, alive and well."

The muscles in Avarik's back tightened. He had planned on informing the Emperor of this fact himself, but that opportunity had been taken from him.

"I must admit, I was initially surprised when you did not make contact when I first requested it. I was wondering if your loyalty was waning."

Avarik's head shot up from his supplicating position as he stared up at his Master.

"But is appears I was mistaken. Your wife was the distraction. I am most pleased to hear that she is alive." Sidious' forced himself to maintain a smile, but his eyes displayed a coldness that showed his true feelings.

A twinkle glimmered in Avarik's eyes; Sidious was refuting any suggestions that Avarik could have plans for taking power on his own. A hint of a smile crept into his features as he realized he could use this to his advantage. "Yes, milord."

"Why don't you bring her back to Coruscant? There are no threats to our control at the moment, and I would like a chance to see Aila again." Sidious added casually.

Avarik was almost gleeful, he had just been given the perfect excuse to go to Coruscant and meet with his Master. Already, plans for usurping Sidious' power were running through his head. His Master might have helped him rescue Aila from the traitorous Jedi, but he had failed to protect Aila from Anakin.

Sidious had not sensed that Anakin had hidden Aila away and had been powerless in protecting her while Avarik had been incapacitated. Only by seizing control for himself, could Avarik keep Aila secure, while molding the galaxy into one that accepted them. Sidious had shown him the power of the dark side, but now he was no longer needed. "We will be there, milord." Avarik bowed his head in respect to hide his true objectives.

"Good." Sidious said with a shrewd smile. "I'm looking forward to it." He then ended the transmission with his apprentice as he started cackling manically. His apprentice was naïve if he thought Sidious did not know his intentions, but it would not matter soon. Already, his plan to keep his apprentice under his control was in motion. In between his gleeful cackles, Sidious declared, "Everything is going according to plan."

* * *

Aila had seen very little of her husband after his conversation with Sidious. He had told her they were returning to Coruscant to meet with him, but did not divulge anything else. When Aila had tried to voice her concerns at meeting Sidious, Avarik had simply smiled and tenderly brushed the side of her cheek before saying, "Do not fear my love, everything will be taken care of, I know what I am doing." 

Aila bit her bottom lip with trepidation in response to this, but had not been given a chance to retort as her husband went and locked himself in his office, making preparations for their trip to Coruscant. When he did emerge from that room for meals and sleep, Aila tried to ask what he was up to. However, he merely brushed her questions aside or stated that he was working on her security plans. This did not make Aila feel any better as she began to fear that Qui-Gon's prediction of her not becoming Empress of the galaxy in the near future could be wrong.

* * *

Avarik delayed their arrival on Coruscant by two days, allowing a security detachment to move to the planet and secure their apartment within the Senate apartment building. Avarik had also ordered that a new set of furniture be placed in there to replace the items he had taken onboard his ship. He would have preferred to have Aila and him staying at a more secure location than the Senate Apartment buildings, but there was no time to have that arranged. 

The Senate had fallen under Sith control without any issues, but Avarik did not like the idea of having Aila around people who could potentially make her a target. On board his Star Destroyer, he knew his crew was loyal to the Empire, but this was not the case in the Senate. Despite the smooth transition to Imperial rule, there were some Senators who ha begun to quietly voice their disdain for it.

It was these people, Avarik feared might target Aila if they decided to escalate their campaign against the Emperor. This was all the more reason to get rid of the Emperor in Avarik's eyes. As his second in command, Avarik was affected by the Emperor's actions and if these actions angered the public, it put Aila at risk. It was best to get rid of that risk by eliminating its source. In the mean time, to mitigate this risk, Avarik had sent a security detachment to secure all areas he and Aila would have to travel within the building to reach their apartment.

On the day of their arrival, Avarik and Aila took a small shuttle from his Star Destroyer and landed on a small landing platform outside the Senate apartments. Four red robed Imperial guards emerged to greet them. The only other witness to the scene on the landing platform was a lone bounty hunter concealed in the shadows of a building adjacent to the Senate apartments. The bounty hunter's blaster was pointed at the ramp of Avarik's shuttle, as he waited for the right moment to strike his target.


	15. Ch 14: Rescue and Endanger

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay everyone. Combination writer's block and DRL was killing me. Here is a nice long chapter to make up for it.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Rescue and Endanger**

Aila reluctantly exited the large theta-class shuttle that had taken her and her husband from his Star Destroyer to Coruscant. Her right arm was linked with his left as they moved down the shuttle's ramp. She had been dreading this encounter since her husband had informed her of it. She had no desire to see Darth Sidious, Emperor Palpatine, Len Itappa, or whatever else the Sith Lord was calling himself. Although she had been deceived by him once, Aila was not going to be fooled by his actions anymore. The man was evil and could not be trusted. Unfortunately, her husband did not see things quite that way.

She was frustrated by Avarik's stubbornness. Every chance that she got she tried to get him to see that his plans to overthrow the Emperor were dangerous. She was all for the Emperor's demise, but she also wanted Obi-Wan to come back to the light side of the Force. If he tried to overthrow the Emperor now, she was not certain that her husband would be coming home alive and the thought of losing him completely was terrifying.

"Please don't do this." Aila pleaded the words that had become her mantra of late.

"I'm doing this for you. To protect you." Avarik answered as he gently tugged on her arm urging her to continue their walk towards the landing pad's surface.

A frustrated groan sounded from Aila before she added, "Obi-Wan, listen to…."

Aila's words were interrupted by the sound of blaster fire coming from the apartment building. Turning her head towards the sound, she was frozen with shock as she caught a brief glimpse of two laser beams coming in her direction.

Aila's eyes widened in fear and her heart rate accelerated as the world began to move in slow motion.

"Get behind me!" Avarik barked at Aila as he ignited his crimson lightsaber. Ahead of him, the Emperor's red-robed guards had already shot and killed Aila's attacker, but that did not stop the few lasers bolts that were moving towards her. Completely taken aback by what was happening, Aila did not move out of the way, but she gently placed her left hand over her abdomen, subconsciously protecting her child.

Using his Force enhanced senses to guide his actions, Avarik tugged on Aila's arm to force her behind him as he stepped in front of her. His lightsaber was held at the ready as the deadly shots that threatened Aila's life drew closer. He effortlessly deflected them, sending them back towards the Senate building where the impacted with the side of the edifice. Faint scorch marks were left as a reminder of what had just happened.

Deactivating his lightsaber, Avarik shouted at the Imperial guards. "Secure the area and retrieve that body! I want to know who he was working for!" As people began to scurry across the landing pad, Avarik turned towards Aila to see that she was visibly trembling as she gazed down at her left and right hands that were now resting over the spot where his son was growing.

Avarik wanted to reassure her that everything was all right, but he needed to move her off the landing pad first. He had not fathomed such a brazen attack against Aila would occur and his heart wrenched with the knowledge that had he not had his Force enhanced abilities she may have been killed. However, he did not have time to dwell on that, he had to get her inside to the safety of the apartment building.

* * *

Aila blindly followed her husband as he escorted her into the Senate apartment building and into a lift to take them up to their apartment. She was shivering with fear and completely unaware of her surroundings. Avarik was worried about her, but with the transparisteel of the lift allowing others to see them, he needed to remain on his guard and focus on getting her safely to their apartment. He did not want a repeat of the attack he had just witnessed.

There was no furniture in the sitting room that had once been Aila and Obi-Wan's home. It was completely barren, since the furniture had been moved to his ship. Avarik had ordered his crew to focus on securing the apartment rather than replacing the furniture, since Aila and him would not be staying planet side for long. There was a new bed in the master bedroom, so that the Sith Lord and his wife could be comfortable, but nothing else.

Instead of homely comforts, Avarik's crew worked to secure all entrances and exits to the apartment. The open balcony that Obi-Wan had once used to enter and exit the apartment had been sealed off with transparisteel. This allowed sunlight to continue to flow into the room, but it also kept the outside world out of this private domain.

There were alarms on all the doors and windows that would sound if there was a breach. In addition, any unauthorized breach to the windows or doors would cause a large durasteel panel to slide into place preventing entry into the rooms within. The controls were set so that only Aila and Avarik could enter and leave the apartment. Others could be granted access, but Avarik saw no reason to do so and given what had just happened on the landing platform he was thankful for this decision.

Once the two of them were safely ensconced inside their barren apartment, Avarik drew Aila into his arms, embracing her trembling form. "It is all right, you are safe now." He murmured soothingly into her hair as he held her close.

Aila did not say anything in response, but pushed her hands underneath her husband's dark cloak so that she could tightly grip the front of his tunic. In her state of shock, Aila was clinging to her husband desperately. At the moment she did not care if he was a Jedi or Sith, all she wanted was to be reassured that the both of them were alive and well.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Avarik continued to reassure her. While his right hand was snaked behind her to hold her close to him, his left hand had moved up to tangle in her hair to gently comb through her silken strands in a calming gesture. Avarik's actions were helping as Aila's shaking began to subside.

To Avarik, the physical reactions Aila's body took in response to her attack were subsiding; he could even feel a drop in her anxiety levels over their Force bond. However, what he failed to notice was that her fear was not leaving; it was simply evolving into another emotion.

Feeling reassured by her husband's presence, Aila's body craved his touch. It was what had driven her to hold onto the front of his tunics, but it was also drawing her to remove them as well.

Feeling an insistent tug at the front of his tunics, Avarik looked down to see that Aila's eyes were fixated at his chest as her hands worked at his clothing. "Aila?" He questioned her softly, moving his left hand down her cheek so he could gently lift her chin so he could meet her gaze.

He was about to ask her, "What's wrong?" However, before the words could pass his lips, he found himself caught off balance as Aila leapt at him, her hands sliding up his chest and winding around the back of his neck as her lips crashed against his. He was forced to backpedal so he would not fall over, and ended up leaning against the door so he could support both himself and Aila.

A frustrated growl emanated from Aila as she found it impossible to remove Avarik's heavy cloak with him pinned against the door. She needed her husband and there were too many things blocking her path.

Avarik was a bit taken aback by Aila's behavior. Although she was always passionately responsive, she generally did not lead when they were making love to one another, and it was very obvious by the longing he could feel over their Force bond that was what she wanted.

Not getting any help from the door at Avarik's back, Aila tightly grasped the front of his robes as she pulled her lips away from his. "Come on." She whispered huskily, her breathing slightly accelerated. She then attempted to drag Avarik towards the back bedroom of their apartment. However, she was stopped when Avarik did not budge and his left hand captured the hand she had entangled in his cloak.

"Aila, talk to me. What is this about?" He asked, gently prying her fingertips from his cloak. Under normal circumstances he'd probably go along with Aila's playful behavior, but everything seemed out of place.

Aila's eyes were glazed over in passion as she answered, "I need you." They had not made love to one another since the night the Jedi Temple fell. Following that they had been separated for a few weeks and their arguments since their reunion had done nothing to fuel their passion. In the back of Aila's mind she knew she would not feel this way had her life not been threatened, but it had and all she wanted was to lose herself to her husband. At the moment she did not care about his allegiance to the dark side, distinctions between Jedi and Sith were not important. All she wanted was a moment to feel alive.

"This isn't like you, my goddess." Avarik stated, his fingertips absentmindedly caressing her captured hand.

Aila sighed and took a few steps closer to her husband. She began ghosting her lips against the skin of his neck, while murmuring, "I love you."

"You've been through a terrible ordeal…" Avarik began to rationalize Aila's behavior, but she interrupted him before he could continue.

"But, I still love you"

Avarik shook his head in disagreement, "You've been angry with me."

"But, I haven't stopped loving you." To punctuate her sentence, Aila trailed her lips up to Avarik's face until they were pressed firmly against his own lips, slowly teasing him with a tender kiss.

"You are upset; you don't know what you are doing." Avarik used their Force bond to voice his concerns as his lips were held prisoner by the insistent pressure applied by Aila's.

"Yes, I do." Aila answered back over their bond. "My life was just threatened, but someone very dear to me saved me. I want to feel alive in the arms of the man I love."

Avarik gave a slight gasp as Aila poured her love for him over their bond. However, that gasp turned into a contented rumble as Aila's tongue hungrily sought his own. He had other arguments he wanted to make, but he could not fight his body's responses to Aila's intoxicating lips.

Aila gently pulled her lips away and smiled as Avarik followed her, not wanting to lose the delicious pressure. She did not say anything as she slowly inched herself backwards. She simply enjoyed the feel of her husband's lips as she steered him towards their bedroom.

* * *

As the door to the bedroom closed behind them, Aila immediately set to the task of disrobing her husband. His cloak came off in a whirl of motion that made it seem like Aila had Force enhanced abilities. Her nimble fingers pulled apart his tunic, allowing her to slide her hands against the sculpted muscle of his chest, eliciting an agreeable groan from Avarik.

Avarik shrugged out of his tunic, helping Aila remove the garment that felt like it was constricting him.

After the attack on her life, Aila had a desperate need to feel his skin sliding against hers. She knew she was alive and well, but she longed for his touch as confirmation of this fact. Therefore, she gave a desperate cry of "No!" as he jumped away from her as if startled after her fingers had grazed the cold metal of his right hand.

Avarik cast his eyes to the ground as he moved his right hand behind his back to hide the durasteel appendage from his wife. He was ashamed of his injuries and did not want to display them to her.

"Why do you hide from me, my love?" Aila asked softly, taking a small, tentative step towards her husband. Her eyes flashed with a combination of passionate hunger and concern for her husband.

Avarik did not answer Aila because he did not know how to. To him, his durasteel appendages were a symbol of all his failures. He had failed to see the Jedi for what they truly were, failed to see the betrayal of a man he once considered to be his brother, and failed to protect the woman he loved, causing him to almost lose her forever on Mustafar. His wounded arm and legs were a sign of his weakness, which he did not want his wife to see. Aila's eyes had always shone with love for him. Even during their recent arguments, her anger was tempered with love, and he did not want to diminish it by displaying his weaknesses.

"Do you think I will think less of you?" Aila voiced Avarik's thoughts. "You're wrong if you think that. Your physical appearance could never do that. Only…" Aila trailed off as she took another step towards her husband. She wanted to say that only the darkness in his soul could disappoint her, but she restrained herself. Her statement was likely to cause another argument between the two of them rather than help anything. Her husband had been scarred both physically and mentally and both of these wounds locked him in his world of darkness.

Right now, Aila was not concerned in starting another argument. All she wanted was some time alone with her husband. She was driven purely on the lust filled needs of her overcharged body as adrenaline coursed through her. Rational thought was escaping her as her body told her mind that release would set all the wrongs in the galaxy right.

Aila lifted a hand up to tenderly cup her husband's cheek and draw his attention back to her. For a moment, Avarik seemed to accept Aila's reassuring touch, but the insistent chime of their comm. unit broke the mood.

Sidestepping away from Aila, Avarik walked towards their comm. unit and answered it. "Yes?"

The image of one of the member's of Avarik's security detail appeared. "Milord." The officer's image bowed in respect before continuing. "The Emperor wishes to see you. He has information on the bounty hunter who attacked your wife."

Avarik's eyes flashed yellow at the mention of Aila's attacker. "Very good, I will leave now." He stated before abruptly ending the transmission. Not casting a backward glance at Aila, he strode purposefully towards the door. It was only the sound of her voice and her hand grabbing his shoulder that gave him a moment's pause.

"Do not go." Aila pleaded as she tried to capture her husband's attention once more. She had seen the transmission from the security officer and felt the lust she had been feeling dissolve into fear once more. However, now she did not fear for the life of herself or her child, but instead on the life of her husband. She knew he had been plotting against Sidious and she was terrified on its outcome.

"I have a meeting with the Emperor. I'll be back soon." Avarik replied calmly. As he reached towards his hip to make sure he had his lightsaber secured to his belt, the young Sith's eyes sparkled as images of an upcoming victory clouded his thoughts. Forgetting his previous feelings about his injuries, he gently ran the fingertips of his duraasteel hand down Aila's cheek. "When I get back, we'll finish what we started and celebrate our new Empire."

"Obi-Wan…." Aila's tone was full of sorrowful pleading as she tried to hold onto her husband and stop him from leaving. She could see the arrogant confidence in his eyes and feel it over their Force bond. She could not let him leave like this.

"It will be all right, my goddess. You'll see." Avarik started to turn away from her, but was halted as Aila fiercely gripped the front of his tunics and pulled herself towards him so her lips held his captive.

Pouring all of her love over their Force bond, Aila tried to change her husband's line of thought to keep him with her. Before her kisses had been out of lust, but now her lips moved urgently to keep her husband with her. She knew that a kiss by itself would not stop him, but she was hoping it might give her a few additional minutes to come up with a new strategy.

However, she was not granted this gift. Instead, Avarik gently pulled his lips away and slipped out of her grasp before exiting the apartment. Aila followed closely behind him, but the apartment's door closed on her before she could stop his retreat.

Intent on following her husband, Aila tried to open the door, but failed. She pressed the release on the door ten times before realizing she was trapped inside. In response, she started desperately pounding on the door. "No! Don't go! You can't keep me in here!" Aila shouted with a combination of fear and anger.

On the other side of the door, Avarik paused for a moment and took a calming breath. He needed his mind to be clear if he was to be successful with his plans for the Emperor.

"Obi-Wan, please don't go! Let me out of here!" Aila screamed out loud and over their Force bond as she continued to pound on the door.

"I can't, my goddess, you must be protected." Avarik replied calmly over their bond as he glanced over his shoulder at the closed door.

On the other side of the door, Aila's fists stilled for a moment. "You might be protecting me, but what about yourself? The Emperor knows what you are planning. I know he has to know!"

Ignoring Aila's shouts through the door, Avarik walked away towards his meeting with his Master. "He doesn't know, my goddess. It will be all right, I promise." He stated reassuringly over their Force bond.

"No!" Aila shouted as she pounded more fiercely on the door. "Obi-Wan, it's a trick, stop!"

* * *

Sidious smiled from his seat in his newly furnished throne room, off of the main Senate chambers. Construction had already begun on an Imperial Palace. The day before a series of apartment buildings had been torn down to make way for the lavish residence that would neighbor the Senate chambers.

The Sith Lord wanted the galactic Senate to be constantly reminded of where control within the galaxy rested. So far no Senators had questioned his authority. They knew their place; he just needed to make sure his apprentice knew his.

His new apprentice was naïve if he thought Sidious did not know of his plans. Avarik had not voiced his plans to anyone, including Aila, but Sidious could feel his overconfidence ripple in the Force. However, in a few short moments Sidious would cure his apprentice of this.

"Guards, leave me." Sidious barked at his guards as he stood from his throne and walked to the middle of the room. For their part, the guards exited through the main door on the opposite side of the room, the one that Avarik would walk through soon. However, for now, Sidious began to slowly pace as he put on a mask of calm indifference and patiently waited for the start of his apprentice's lesson.

* * *

"Obi-Wan, please don't do this." Avarik heard his wife's voice echo over his Force bond. The fear and anguish he felt emanating from her made him pause, but with a deep breath he expunged any misgivings his mind was considering. He was not going to rush into his attack. He was going to act slow and wait for the right opportunity to strike at Sidious. There was no reason for Aila to fear, he had this carefully planned.

Avarik tried to send reassurance to Aila, but she still continued her desperate pleas for him to turn back. However, Avarik's mind was set and he would not be deterred. He considered closing his Force bond with Aila to drown out her pleas, so he could focus on his mission. As a Jedi he would have done this, but he could not bring himself to do that now. It was selfish to keep the bond open, but after losing her once Avarik did not want to lose her again. He was a Sith Lord and he was not going to be without his wife, his prized possession.

Ignoring Aila's insistent cries and checking his lightsaber one last time, Avarik squared his shoulders before entering his Master's throne room.

* * *

"Master." Avarik greeted as he knelt in the center of the throne room before the standing form of Darth Sidious.

"Rise, Lord Avarik. We have much to discuss." Sidious' yellow eyes flickered with malicious delight for a second before being replaced with a more neutral glance.

"I was told you had news on Aila's attacker?" Avarik asked as he rose to his feet.

"Yes, I do." Sidious stated kindly. "But first, how is she?"

"Alive, but a little shaken up." Avarik explained. Sidious' words drew his attention to his Force bond where he could feel her trepidation seeping towards him.

"A true loss that would have been." Sidious' voice shifted Avarik's focus away from his bond and back to the Sith Lord. "I am just pleased my…" Sidious stressed the last word before continuing, "…guard was able to disable her attacker before he could succeed."

"Aila and I are both grateful."

"It was nothing." Sidious waved off his Apprentice's thanks and casually turned his back on Avarik and slowly strode towards his throne.

Sensing his opportunity to strike with his Master's back turned; Avarik called his lightsaber to his hand, ignited it, and lifted it high above his head ready to strike. However, before he could complete his deadly strike, Sidious spun on his heel and extended his right hand as he called upon the Force.

"You forget yourself, my apprentice." Sidious growled angrily, Force shoving Avarik to the left of the throne room's main door. Avarik hit the wall hard, but was prevented from crumpling to the floor as three spikes sprang from the wall, impaling his ankles and the wrist of his right hand. Back at his apartment, Aila screamed in pain before crumpling to the floor as bruises formed on her right wrist and both of her ankles.

"Aaarrrghh! Aila!" Avarik struggled through his own pain to make sure his wife was all right. He knew by the agony he was feeling emanating from her that she was suffering the effects of his injuries.

"I saved your wife and you repay me by trying to kill me. Explain to me how this is a fair exchange." Sidious smiled cruelly before waving a hand at the spikes holding Avarik up, causing them to retract back into the wall. He had those spikes put in for just this situation and as Avarik crashed to the floor in a heap, he smiled at their effect. "You are lucky my apprentice that I am being lenient. I could have injured your left hand which would have meant more durasteel for you."

Avarik groaned in pain as he struggled to stand up, however the spike had severed much of the wiring in his ankles and right wrist making this simple task impossible. Additionally, as the wiring had been attached to his body's nervous system, he was fighting through the pain of the brutal torture. Cradling his right wrist with his left hand, Avarik glanced at the gaping hole and torn wiring, while murmuring Aila's name through clenched teeth.

"I would have never have expected such an act of treason from you." Sidious lied with a malicious smile. He was enjoying his apprentice's agony. "There are penalties for your actions, my apprentice." Sidious practically hissed the last part as he pointed his right hand at Avarik.

"Nooooooo! Aila! Stop! Nooooooo!" Avarik screamed as Sidious sent Force lightning coursing through his body. Aila screamed for a moment as well, but she eventually passed out from the pain she was sharing with her husband. "Aila!" Avarik tried to push away his own pain as he tried to check on her and the baby, worried about the toll the attack was having on both of them.

"Aila can't rescue you." Sidious teased as he let up on his attack. "I wonder what she would say if she found out you tried to destroy me, the man who rescued her from the bounty hunters."

"No…" Avarik struggled for breath as his body shook with the aftereffects of the lightning. "Aila… Force bond… feels… everything…."

Although Avarik was struggling to form coherent sentences, Sidious was able to figure out the meaning of his disjointed words. A light cackle escaped him as he relished this new information. "So, I guess she does know what you have done. Not only are you being punished, but she is as well. Seems you have failed to protect her once more." Sidious paused to listen to Avarik struggle for breath.

Sidious had been aware of Aila and Avarik's Force bond for some time. He had known that they could talk to one another over it and feel each others presences, but he had not realized their connection was strong enough that they could share each other's pain. He silently wondered if he could cause Avarik enough harm to keep him alive, but kill off Aila. That would end the threat that she posed. Avarik might blame Sidious for her death, but he would also have to live with the guilt that he had instigated the attack. Guilt was a powerful Sith tool of control and with this thought in mind; Sidious raised his hand once more and pointed it at Avarik. "Perhaps, this will remind you of the price of treason."

"Noooooo!" Avarik screamed while cowering on the floor. "Don't! Aila…. She's pregnant!"


	16. Ch 15: What the Force Reveals

**Chapter 15: What the Force Reveals**

"Pregnant?" Sidious spat out in disgust as his hand dropped to his side. Through his meditations, the Force had not revealed this information, and he was not pleased by this surprise.

"Yes, my… my master." Avarik mumbled, a feeling of relief wash over him as he saw Sidious' hand drop to his side. He was struggling for breath, Sidious' attack having winded him.

"I suspect it is a useless daughter." Sidious closed his eyes and searched the Force for confirmation.

"No, a son…." Avarik winced as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position. "My son." Although he was in agony, there was a hint of pride in his voice.

"A son?" Sidious asked as he continued to probe the Force. "Are you sure?"

"The Force has shown me this." Avarik replied, closing his own eyes and focusing on his bond so he could check on Aila. She was still unconscious, but thankfully alive.

"Indeed." Sidious responded coldly as he pulled out of his meditation. He had not confirmed his apprentice's words, but he would worry about that later, for now he needed to deal with his apprentice. "A son will carry the strength of the Force and make a fine Sith. A pity you risked his life." Sidious paused for a moment, allowing Avarik to wallow in the tragedy that could have happened. "If it was a daughter I would understand your actions. A daughter would be weak and of no use to us."

"Us?" Avarik's grimaced as he looked up at his Master malicious smile.

"Yes, us. A powerful Sith your son will become. Together, you and I will train him and hone his skills." Silently Sidious added, "Until the day I can turn the child against his parents and have a new, more powerful apprentice."

"Aila will not approve." Avarik commented while shaking his head.

"So you would let your son's talents go to waste because of the mother's misgivings?" Sidious sneered as he spoke.

Avarik hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well…"

"No!" Sidious' smile dissolved into a scowl as he cut Avarik off. "Your son must be trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force, if for no other reason than as a survival skill. He was almost killed twice today.

Avarik cast his eyes towards the floor in shame. Sidious was right; his son would need to be trained in the ways of the Force for survival. Avarik had been blind not to foresee the recent attempt on Aila's life, just as he had been blind to see the Jedi's plots against her. His son would need the skills in order to defend himself from a similar threat. Avarik also noted he would need his son's help if he ever hoped to overthrow Sidious. This failed attempt showed that Avarik was not strong enough on his own. He needed help.

Sidious hid the smirk at his apprentice's thoughts of using his son to overthrow him. With the pain from his injuries and his concern for Aila and his son, Avarik was failing to shield these thoughts from his Master. However, this would not matter. Avarik might have great skill with the Force, but Sidious was far superior at manipulating people. He was confident the son of Kenobi would be as easy to turn to the dark side as his father. "Your son will begin his training the day he is born. Perhaps he can help you stop the threat of the Jedi."

"Jedi?" Avarik spat as his head shot up to meet Sidious' malevolent gaze. Avarik was actively searching for the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Those cowards were hiding from his wrath.

Sidious grinned broadly as he pulled a small datapad out of the deep folds of his cloak. "Yes, my apprentice. Once again, where you failed, I succeeded in protecting your wife from the Jedi." The Sith Lord slowly levitated the datapad to his apprentice, holding it at his eye level so he could see. "These orders were found on the body of the bounty hunter that attacked Aila"

Avarik's eyes traveled down the datapad, first reading the words: "Target: Aila Kenobi," There was some more text detailing what the bounty hunter was supposed to do, but Avarik paid no attention to it. Instead his eyes caught sight of the name of the person who had ordered the attack. A deep rage filled him as his eyes turned from amber to a hatred filled scarlet color. In an instant the datapad exploded into a thousand tiny pieces, but in his mind Avarik could still see the letters that spelled the name of his enemy, Anakin Skywalker.

Sidious cackled maniacally as he basked in the glow of Avarik's anger as his apprentice screamed in fury.

Avarik's breathing was coming out raggedly, as Sidious casually addressed Avarik. "You have not chosen your enemies well. I am not the enemy, that Jedi is, along with those who support them. You will wipe out the rest of the Jedi and end the threat they pose." Not moving his eyes from his apprentice's wounded form, Sidious shouted "Guards!"

Two red robed, Imperial guards immediately opened the throne room's front door and bowed before their Master. Pointing a gnarled hand at his apprentice, Sidious ordered, "Take him to medical and have them fix him up."

The guards did not say anything, but nodded in acknowledgement as they grasped the wounded Sith under the arms and hoisted him up. The two guards the preceded to sling the Sith's arms over their shoulders so they could allow the Sith's legs to drag uselessly across the floor as they moved him out of the throne room.

Just before the guards were about to walk through the throne room's door, Sidious called out one last set of instructions. "Lord Avarik!"

The guards paused and allowed the younger Sith to turn his head towards his Master, out of curiosity, the guards turned towards Sidious as well. Avarik was still breathing heavily from the news he had received on Aila's would be killer, his eyes still a startling shade of red.

"You would do well to remember who the true enemy is. Son or no, next time, I will not be as lenient." A malicious grin spread across Sidious' features as he casually waved the guards to take Avarik out of his sight.

* * *

"Aila!" The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn called out urgently to the collapsed figure on the floor of Avarik's Coruscant apartment. A tremor ran through the Force as the ethereal voice tried to urgently wake the woman. "Aila, you must get up!"

"Hmmm…" Aila mumbled incoherently. She turned her head in response to Qui-Gon's voice, but her mind did not register what was happening around her.

"Aila! You must get up and protect your child. The Emperor is coming!"

"Obi-Wan?" Her husband's name came out on a strangled whisper as her body and mind rebelled against Qui-Gon's demand for her to get up.

"He can't help you right now, milady. Please get up!" Qui-Gon's voice was stern as he continued his attempt to rouse the woman.

"Qui-Gon?" Aila finally recognized who was speaking to her, and tried to move her body in response to his voice. However, the pain that resonated through her body from her husband's injuries caused her to pass out once more.

"Aila!" Qui-Gon barked at her again, but he quickly realized she was not in any shape to respond. There was little Aila could do to shield herself and her child from the Emperor if she was awake, but her lucidity at this moment could have helped. Her Force bond with Obi-Wan was key to bringing him back towards the light as it was a direct link to Aila and her love. However, it was moments like these that also showed that bond was a liability for the two lovers.

Sensing a dark presence approaching the apartment door, Qui-Gon shielded his presence within the Force so he would not alert Sidious while he helped Aila.

* * *

Standing outside Avarik's apartment door, Sidious closed his eyes as he concentrated on disabling the younger Sith's security system. Once again his apprentice was proving his naivety if he thought Sidious could not enter the apartment as he wished.

Sidious would have preferred if this visit had been to kill the woman who resided behind the closed door, but things were different if his apprentice's story was true. The Sith Lord had no desire to see Aila; he just wanted to check that there was indeed a new apprentice for him on the way. With Avarik away at medical to tend his own wounds, Sidious would have a few moments alone with Aila to confirm if she was with child. It pained him to think that Aila could still be of use to him, but the prospect of a new apprentice that he could bend to his will at an early age would make it necessary to keep the woman around for the time being.

In the silence of the vacated hall, a few audible clicks of Avarik's apartment door being unlocked were heard before Sidious waved his hand before it to open it. Sidious took a step forward and almost stumbled over Aila's crumpled form on the floor. He cursed slightly as he took a step back and regained his composure, but his annoyance soon dissolved to glee at the sight of Aila's disheveled form.

The clothes Aila had traveled planet side in, a plain emerald colored blouse and a light weight pair of black pants, were wrinkled slightly due to her position on the floor. Although the pants hid the bruises Sidious knew were at her ankles, he could see the dark purple that covered her right wrist from Avarik's injures. It amused Sidious that in about an hour, Avarik would have no sign of injury with the repairs to his mechanical limbs, but Aila's body would serve as a reminder for what had happened. The Sith Lord was certain Aila's injuries would give Avarik pause whenever thoughts of overthrowing his Master occurred again.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Sidious slowly bent over and extended a gnarled hand out to Aila. Immediately, Aila started to shiver and her head tossed restlessly in her unconscious state as she moaned weakly. Knowing her feelings of unease would draw Avarik's attention, Sidious carefully inched his hand towards Aila's abdomen. A tremor resounded in the Force as Sidious' hand got closer to Aila. However, there was no denying the ripples in the Force beneath his fingertips as Sidious checked on the life growing within the wife of his apprentice.


	17. Ch 16: A Display of Failure

**Chapter 16: A Display of Failure**

Avarik sat on the bed in the quarters on his Star Destroyer as he gently lifted Aila's bruised right wrist. He had found her unconscious form, resting within the doorway of their Coruscant apartment after he had left the medical ward from the treatment of his own injuries. His temper flared at the sight of the large purple bruise that marred Aila's creamy flesh. However, he was not angry with his Master, but at Anakin Skywalker.

It was true that it was the Emperor who had punished Avarik for his attempted coup and caused those marks on Aila's skin, but Avarik was conveniently forgetting that. All he could remember were the letters that spelled his former Apprentice's name on the datapad that Sidious had shown him.

Anakin had signed off on Aila's death warrant, sending a lowly bounty hunter after her. Avarik was just happy he had been by her side during the attempted murder because had she still been on Earth she would have been killed.

Anakin was toying with him, slowly trying to bring Avarik pain. The young Jedi had hidden Aila away from him, and now he had tried to kill her, fully aware of the agony this would cause Avarik. Thankfully his Master had been able to thwart the latest attempt on Aila's life, but Avarik was still infuriated by Anakin's brazenness. As soon as Avarik found him, he would make sure the young Jedi suffered for all of his crimes.

Avarik had scooped Aila up into his arms and immediately left Coruscant to take her back onboard his Star Destroyer. After all that had happened, he did not want her on that planet and allow his enemies another chance to strike at her. As he had come onboard his ship with her cradled in his arms he had barked three sets of orders at his crew. First, he wanted a medical team sent to his room to check on Aila and his son. Second, his crew was to scan the entire galaxy for any fugitive Jedi and notify Avarik immediately when they found them. Third, his crew was to compile a listing of potential bodyguards for Aila.

No one onboard questioned their orders and immediately set themselves on their task. No one wanted it to seem that they were being derelict of duties, because they did not want to be on the receiving end of their commanding officer's temper.

* * *

The healers had just left after having examining Aila and the baby. All were all right; Aila was just a bit shaken up. The healers informed Avarik he could wake her up, but he decided to let her rest. Aila would need her strength for the baby and rest would help with that and it would give Avarik a chance to brood on his own. His eyes glowed yellow as he contemplated all the ways he could destroy Anakin Skywalker. However, the anger flowing over their Force bond was strong enough to disturb Aila from her slumber and cause her to stir.

"Obi-Wan?" Aila's soft voice called out to him as her eyes slowly opened.

"I'm here, my goddess." Avarik blinked his eyes several times as they reverted to their natural blue-green. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed as the sound of his wife's voice momentarily pushed aside his rage.

Aila winced slightly as she pushed herself up using her right wrist. "Are you all right?"

Avarik leaned forward to help support Aila as he replied. "I'm fine, my goddess, I was worried about you."

Aila glanced down at her wrist and saw the large purple mark. She could also see a small sliver of the bruising at her ankles that was peeking out from her pant legs. "What did Sidious do to you?"

"I should have closed off our Force bond; you should not have been made to suffer that." Avarik stated, skirting around Aila's question.

"You and I both know that when either of us has been injured, that Force bond does not stay closed for long." Aila chided her husband as she shifted herself so she could sit up straighter. She ended up leaning on her injured hand again causing discomfort to race up her arm. As she closed her eyes to wince in pain, she heard a slight hiss escape her husband's lips. "Are you hurt?" She asked with concern as she concentrated on their Force bond to gauge his reaction.

"No, I'm fine. It was just to my metal appendages." To Aila's surprise, Avarik pulled back the sleeve to his tunic and revealed his right wrist to her. "My reaction is to your pain. I can feel it over our bond."

Reverently, Aila reached out and cradled the metal appendage in her hands, slowly sliding her fingers down the cold, golden-colored metal. Avarik's fingertips reflexively twitched as he allowed Aila to touch the arm he had been trying to hide from her. "You wouldn't show me this before. Why now?" Aila asked, taken aback by the situation.

Avarik shrugged. "You have been injured because of me, and although I do not want you to see it, you have a right to witness my failure to protect you."

* * *

Aila shook her head sadly. "You have not failed to protect me, you saved me."

Avarik let out a derisive snort as he averted his eyes from Aila. "Yes, but Anakin could have killed you."

"Anakin?" Aila's brow furrowed in confusion. "You can't honestly believe he was behind all of this?"

"My Master showed me the orders that bounty hunter was following, they were signed by Anakin."

"That can't be possible. Anakin would never…."

Avarik shook his head. "No, I have seen it."

"And you are just going to believe Sidious on this? Was this before or after he tortured you?" Aila tried and failed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she rolled her eyes at her husband's stubborn resolve to follow Sidious' word. Just yesterday, he had plans to take his Master's place and now that Master was still in power and Avarik was falling prey to a story Aila was sure was fabricated. "I thought you were trying to overthrow him."

Avarik brushed a strand of hair out of Aila's face and tucked it behind her right ear. "He saved you my goddess. I could have lost you, but he supplied the contingent of guards that killed that bounty hunter. I am indebted to him."

Aila let out a derisive snort. "Guards that were probably told where and when to shoot. I know he is behind all of this. He can't fool me with his attempt to frame Anakin, why can't you see that?"

"You underestimate the treachery of the Jedi." Avarik answered in a monotone.

Aila glanced down at the metal hand she was holding and scowled at it before letting it fall from her grasp. She averted her eyes from her husband, disgusted by what she was hearing. "You put too much faith in your Master and the dark side of the Force."

A tense silence fell between husband and wife as Avarik stared at Aila, willing her to meet his eyes. Frustrated as her gaze was stubbornly turned away from him, Avarik turned his back on her and gave a great sigh. His next statement was made in a monotone. "My Master has not hurt us like the Jedi. I need his power to protect you and the baby. I'm not strong enough yet, to do that on my own. He showed me that today."

Aila turned her gaze to the back of her husband's head. Her expression was cold and she almost made a comment on her husband's foolishness in his attempted coup against the Emperor, but his next words stopped her.

Avarik's shoulders slumped in defeat at his next statement, "I'm nothing without you, my goddess. I can't… I can't lose you."

The angry barb Aila wanted to throw at her husband died in her throat as the monotone in his voice broke into the familiar and tender tone of the Jedi her husband once was. It was a welcome surprise to hear and all Aila wanted was to hold onto this moment and further draw her husband out of the darkness that consumed his soul.

Aila's tone was soft and warm when she replied to him. "You won't lose me. And you most certainly aren't nothing. You are my best friend and the man I love."

"But I've failed to protect you countless times." Avarik twisted his right hand as he gazed down at it.

"Battle scars are not a sign of failure, but a sign of what you have done." Although Aila was fully aware that her husband's metal appendages were a sign of his fall to the dark side, she put a more positive spin on her appraisal of them. He was spending too much time brooding on failure and it was not helping him see the error of his ways. She hoped that her acceptance of his current state could help to further draw out the good in her husband.

Avarik did not say anything in response to Aila's comment, but hung his head in defeat as he gave out a long sigh. He was still facing away from Aila.

"You cannot keep dwelling on this or it will eat you alive." Aila used her left hand to prop herself up so she could scoot closer to her husband. "You always used to say that one should not dwell on the negative." Aila punctuated her sentence by placing a light kiss to her husband's cheek.

Avarik turned his head to the side so he could look at Aila in his periphery vision. "I can't help it. Only my Master has been powerful enough to save you, I've failed each time."

Aila shook her head, she had to get him to stop focusing on the poisonous thoughts Sidious was feeding him. For a moment he had started to sound like the man she had married, but now he was reverting back to the Sith Lord he had become. Sidious gave him a feeling of power and trust that the Jedi had neglected to provide. Avarik's negative feelings fed the darkness that Sidious had enveloped him in and Aila would need something lighter to counter the darkness. She knew exactly what she could use; it was something she had been giving Obi-Wan since before they were married. Now was not a time for arguments, now was a time for love and understanding.

"Do not talk that way, my love." Aila replied while wrapping her arms around her husband and trailing light kisses down his cheek. "Let it go." She whispered.

"How can I, when the ones who tried to kill you are still at large?" Despite his bleak mood, Avarik raised his left hand so he could gently caress the skin of one of Aila's arms that was wrapped around him.

"I'm all right." Aila murmured thinking fast on a way to derail her husband's current train of thought. The part of her that was disgusted with her husband's allegiance with the Sith hesitated for a moment, but she could still recall Qui-Gon's words about accepting her husband and this was stronger than her misgivings. The fact remained that she loved Obi-Wan and she knew she needed to do something to turn his attention towards that love rather than his allegiance to the dark side. He needed her acceptance and understanding. There would be a time for arguments later, but for now Aila needed to push away Obi-Wan's bleak mood. This was a rare moment in which she could hear her husband underneath his sithly façade. Qui-Gon had told her Obi-Wan would come and go as he struggled against his own darkness and Aila wanted to hold onto him for as long as she could.

Shoving her own hesitation aside, Aila slid herself around him so that her body was straddling her husband and she was staring nose to nose with him. "Forget them. All that matters is that you are here with me and nothing can bother us." Aila tenderly rubbed her cheek against Avarik's as she snuggled up to him. She sent her love to him over their Force bond, trying to soothe away his troubles. She hoped her closeness would help open up a lighter discussion than they had been having.

Avarik's shoulders tensed in surprise at Aila's movement, but at the same time he felt his heart flutter in elation that she was near.

"I love you." The words were spoken barely above a whisper, but Avarik heard them clearly as Aila's voice caressed his ear. "No matter what, I love you."

Moving his left hand between himself and Aila, Avarik pushed her away so that he could tilt her chin up to stare into her deep blue eyes. For a moment he was silent as he stared into Aila's questioning eyes. Her eyes searched for some sign of what he was thinking, concern and love etched across her features. Aila's eyes had been known to capture Avarik's attention, long before they were married. He could always find solace in them and it would have been terrible if he had been denied a chance to gaze into them once more.

Anger would have been Avarik's normal reaction to this thought, but with Aila's body pressed so close to his, that anger morphed into lust and a need to possess his wife mind, body and soul. Despite his previous unease, something in the back of Avarik's mind shouted that he had saved his goddess and it was time to claim what was his. In a blink of an eye, Avarik's lips crashed against Aila's in a haze of passion.

Aila's eyes widened in shock at her husband's forcefulness as his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. Taken aback by the intensity of his reaction, Aila slid her hands up his chest and tried to push herself away from him, However, Avarik had wound his arms behind her back, anchoring her in place. All pressing against her husband's chest had done was cause pain to shoot up her injured wrist causing mutual groans from husband and wife as they shared the pain over their Force bond. However, Avarik was able to use Aila's momentary hiss of pain to his advantage as his tongue was able to gain entrance to his wife's mouth as he continued to kiss her.

"You know I can heal those injuries with the Force, my goddess. Mine are healed and you should not suffer anymore either." Avarik stated over their Force bond as his lips held Aila's captive.

Aila had told Avarik that he was not allowed to use the Force on her anymore. However, in this case, he had not used the Force on her. Instead, he had asked her. Aila's heart soared with happiness that he had not betrayed her demand and had left the decision up to her. It made it easier for her to justify when she sent her agreement over their Force bond, her hands coming up to cup her husband's face as she momentarily pulled herself from his lips so she could take a much needed breath of air.

"As you wish." Avarik murmured before standing up from the bed, lifting Aila up with him. He promptly turned them around and redeposited her on the bed. Before she had a chance to settle herself against the pillows, Avarik was on top of her, capturing her lips once more as his fingers searched for the bottom hem of her blouse.

"Obi-Wan!" Aila gasped in a combination of shock and warning at his forceful behavior.

"Shh, my goddess." Avarik answered as his hands found the bottom of her blouse. "We have delayed this for far too long." As Avarik's hands slid up Aila's body, taking the blouse with them, his lips trailed away from her mouth and towards her left ear.

Aila had meant to distract her husband from his sithly ways with a comfortable evening of quiet conversation. She had not expected it to turn into a session of lovemaking, but there was little she could do about that now. Her body was already reacting to the touch of her husband's calloused fingertips. However, her mind still fought against her. She had been angry with her husband and had been trying to make him see reason.

Aila almost pushed her husband away as her mind continued to tell her she should be fighting him rather than making love to him. However, the delightful shiver that ran down her spine as he lightly blew in her ear and the words that followed stopped her. "Let me love you." Her husband murmured before capturing her lips in a hungry kiss once more. That voice was not the dark monotone of a Sith Lord, but the cultured accent of the man she married. For the rest of the night, she would forget her misgivings, for Obi-Wan Kenobi needed her love. She would deal with Lord Avarik in the morning.


	18. Ch 17: Troubling News

**Chapter 17: Troubling News**

Padmé walked softly through the halls of her Alderaan home after waking up to an empty bed for the twelfth time in the last two weeks. She had immediately gone looking for her husband. She knew where he would be. If he wasn't by her side, there was only one other place he would go.

The bedroom to the nursery was open a crack, a dim light emanating from the room as Anakin Skywalker checked on his two young children. The Skywalker children were supposed to be slumbering in their cribs, but instead, the three month olds were being held in their father's arms as he gently rocked back in forth in a rocking chair. He smiled down at his twins they were sound asleep with their faces pressed against his broad chest, the sound of his heartbeat providing a soothing lullaby.

"I thought I would find you in here again." Padmé whispered, not wanting to disturb her children.

"Padmé… I…" Anakin began to answer, but with a few quick steps towards her husband, Padmé silenced her husband by placing a finger to his lips. In Anakin's arms, Luke and Leia shifted restlessly as their father's voice threatened to pull them out of their dreams.

Anakin responded to Padmé by gently kissing the finger she had pressed to his lips and allowed her to take Leia back to her crib. While Padmé settled Leia into her bed, Anakin got up from the rocking chair and placed Luke in his neighboring crib as well. Both adults were silent as they took turns to place a light kiss on their children's cherubic faces before departing for their own room.

"We need to…" Padmé begun, but her sentence was finished by Anakin.

"Talk." Anakin sighed before continuing. "I know."

"You have not slept well for weeks." Padmé commented as she ushered her husband to their bed. She sat on the end of it, Anakin sitting beside her. "I know it is from those news briefings we've heard in town."

"It's not just that." Anakin's elbows were resting on his knees and he placed his head in his hands. "It's…"

"Also the Force." It was Padmé's turn to finish a sentence.

Anakin nodded sadly, casting a sideways glance at his wife. "Many Jedi have been killed. I don't need the news to tell me that I can feel it. He's looking for me, for us."

"Obi-Wan?" Padmé shook her head in disbelief that such a good man could commit such heinous crimes.

A grimace of pain crossed Anakin's features at his old master's name. "The dark side has clouded his perceptions." With a hint of bitterness, he added. "Those fools on the Council ruined him; he does not trust anyone anymore. I thought he would forgive me once he was reunited with Aila, but I was wrong."

"Are you sure it is Aila?" Padmé asked. A part of her knew her husband was right, but she did not want to believe him. She secretly hoped that somehow the Force would bring truth to her words if she voiced them out loud. "The holonet only said that Lord and Lady Avarik would be attending the Emperor's birthday celebration, it did not give the lady's name. That could be anyone."

Anakin gave a snort of derisive laughter. "Angel, if positions were reversed and I had fallen to the dark side, do you think I would have anyone but you at my side?"

"I wouldn't…"

Anakin impatiently raised a hand silencing his wife's protest. "I know you wouldn't, just as I will never join the dark side. The point is you are the only woman in my life and I know Obi-Wan feels the same way about Aila."

The comment about Anakin's loyalty to her caused her to flash a small smile, but her expression dissolved into a frown as she considered Aila's plight. "Do you think she's all right?"

"Obi-Wan won't let any harm come to her if he can help it, so physically she should be fine. If anything I worry about how she is handling having a Sith Lord for a husband." Anakin replied.

Padmé was silent for a moment, considering Anakin's words before adding, "All the Jedi killings have to be hard for her to take if Obi-Wan has let her know about them."

"It is senseless, but I know how to stop it." Anakin tone was very serious as he straightened himself up and turned so he was staring directly into Padmé's chocolate colored eyes.

"How?" Padmé blinked a couple times as she tried to figure out what Anakin would say.

"He's not searching for all of those Jedi he has killed. He's angry at me. He's looking for me. I must turn myself in."

"No!" Padmé shouted, gripping Anakin's hand tightly as if that alone would keep him with her. "He'll kill you."

Anakin sighed, running a hand through his wavy hair. "But others are dying because he is searching for me."

Thinking quickly to derail her husband's train of thought, Padmé voiced reasons that countered Anakin's decision. "And do you think sacrificing yourself will stop the killings? He'll still be a Sith Lord and will probably just transfer his anger somewhere else. No one in the galaxy is safe from him as long as he's following Sidious' orders. Not even Aila."

Anakin shook his head sadly. "You are right that he will probably transfer his anger elsewhere, but I don't think you need to worry about Aila. After all that had happened on Mustafar, he was adamant that she be protected. She's the only one that is safe from his wrath."

Silence fell between husband and wife; both their gazes were locked on their intertwined hands. It was Padmé's soft voice that was heard first. "I know you feel guilty about all that has happened, but right now there is little we can do to stop it. Any strategy we implement puts ourselves or…" Padmé paused and glanced out the bedroom door to the twins' nursery. "The ones we love in danger."

Anakin's eyes flew to the door. The thought that his children could be in danger from the Sith tore at his heart and was all the motivation he needed to not turn himself in to the Sith. If he died there would be no one to protect Padmé and the twins who would also be targets to the Sith. However, his need to protect his family did not hide his frustration that he was helpless to stop the killings of his fellow Jedi. "I still wish there was more I could do."

Padmé smiled and brought his hand to her lips and placed a light kiss on it. "I know that. Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker is not known to just sit there while others are in danger."

Anakin smiled. "Obi-Wan used to tell me I was impatient. He was always the "Negotiator", the brilliant strategist." His smile faded and his tone became filled with regret. "A strategy is what I need now."

Padmé drew her husband into her arms, hugging him close to her. "I'll help you think of something." Nothing more was said that night as the two lovers sat together, holding onto one another. Eventually they would settle back in bed for a few hours of sleep before their children woke up. Neither liked the current state of the galaxy. The former Senator of Naboo wanted democracy to return and the Jedi Master wanted the senseless killings to end. However in the end, they knew they had to be patient and be careful with their actions. They both felt deep down that they would have to act one of these days, but if they were going to make a difference they had to wait for the right moment. Death may be their destiny, but now was not the time for it.

* * *

Aila looked up at her husband's slumbering features before cuddling into his chest. Her fingers absentmindedly drew lazy patterns over his pectorals, causing the muscles to twitch slightly in response. Aila sighed deeply as she thought back on the last two months. He had locked her away on his Star Destroyer, leaving her alone for days on end while he hunted down the few surviving Jedi. Aila's heart broke each day that he did this, for she always knew when a killing was taking place. Over her Force bond, the feelings, of anger and resentment emanating from her husband intensified before fading into a feeling of victory. She had been spared from watching her husband dispatch his chosen enemies, but feeling his dark emotions connected to them did not make it any better.

The first day his crew had found a potential target, Aila had done all she could to stop her husband from leaving. She had practically thrown herself at him, wrapping her body against his to keep him with her. However, her strength was no match for her husband's and he was able to slip through her grasp. She had then tried to rationalize with him, following him out of their quarters as she frantically tried to talk him out of killing his former comrades. Unfortunately, the damage that the Jedi Council had done to her husband was too severe for her words to soothe away. Avarik now classified all Jedi as his enemy and he would not listen to any of her arguments against that notion.

Since that first day of Jedi killings, Avarik had made sure Aila was locked away in their quarters so she could not follow him. By day she was left to pace the rooms alone, grieving for the Jedi her husband destroyed and praying at the same time, that Anakin, Padmé, Luke, and Leia did not join that list.

Aila knew her husband was most interested in finding his former padawan and his family for crimes the Emperor had manufactured in Avarik's mind. She was still trying to distance Avarik from Sidious' grasp, but nothing seemed to work. Gone was the rational man he had once been and in his place was a man bent on revenge for all the wrongs that had been committed or seemingly committed against him by the Jedi Order.

She was furious with her husband for his stubbornness, but Qui-Gon had continued to remind her that she could not shut him out in anger. She could disagree with his actions and tell him of this, but in the end Obi-Wan needed her love if he was going to shrug off the shackles of the dark side. There was no denying that Aila loved him, but she was immensely frustrated and disappointed with him.

It was only in the early morning hours when Avarik was still sleeping or when they were making love, which had not happened since just after the Emperor's punishment of Avarik two months ago, that Aila could catch a fleeting glimpse of Obi-Wan Kenobi instead of the dreaded Sith Lord. His features were relaxed with no torment etching his face in anger and pain. He was calm and serene, their Force bond not projecting any vehement emotions. It vexed Aila that she could not convince him to relinquish his ties to the dark side for good and that she had to wait for these brief moments to see her husband's former, benevolent self.

Aila's only consolation on this morning is that no Jedi would be killed today, but she was not overly thrilled with the activity that was scheduled for her and Avarik.

"You are up early, my goddess." Avarik yawned as he began to rouse from slumber. "We can have breakfast before the candidates arrive."

"I do not know why you insist on getting me a handmaiden? You won't let me out of these rooms as it is." Aila failed to hide her bitterness as she glanced up at her husband's now open eyes.

"You need some form or protection other than myself, especially when we have to attend formal events on Coruscant like the upcoming birthday celebration for the Emperor." Avarik stated calmly as he sat up in bed, drawing Aila up with him. His hand immediately went to her abdomen, and he felt the Force ripple as he checked on his son. Aila still was not showing physical signs of her pregnancy, but through the Force Avarik could feel that the tiny life growing within her was getting stronger. He smiled with pride as he could tell his son would be a powerful Sith.

"I am not going to celebrate anything for that monster." Aila stubbornly declared. "You can go alone."

"As the Lady Avarik…."

"Kenobi!" Aila interrupted her husband to provide the correction.

"Avarik." The Sith countered his wife before continuing. "You must make an appearance with me in the Imperial Court."

"I don't want to go." Aila stated haughtily even though she knew she was going to lose this battle.

"You will be going, my stubborn goddess, whether you want to or not. As upper nobility of the new Empire it is expected that both of us attend."

Aila rolled her eyes. "Well I am not bringing a gift for his highness, and I will not answer to the title of Lady Avarik, I am Lady Kenobi."

Avarik let out a frustrated sigh. "Why must you fight me on this? You know that name no longer has any meaning for me. It is a name of a weak Jedi."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is not weak. He is the man I love. He…."

Avarik interrupted Aila by sharply saying, "I am not having this fight with you this morning. I am Lord Avarik and as such you are Lady Avarik. That is the end of it. If you continue to argue about this, I will leave you here for the day and not let you choose your own handmaiden from the possible candidates."

Aila scowled for a moment, but she was surprised by Avarik's last statement. "You would let me choose?"

Avarik smiled with the knowledge that he had successfully derailed Aila's latest argument with him. "Yes, my goddess. From the possible candidates I have already pre-screened." A few days after his arrival back on his ship from his punishment from the Emperor, Avarik's crew had compiled a list of all potential bodyguards for Aila. Aila was not aware of it, but Avarik had already created a security team for her. They were already hard at work, protecting her from any possible threats that came their way. The only thing that was left was selecting a handmaiden for his wife. There were ten candidates that Avarik had deemed suitable. They all had received high marks in their security training courses and their background checks revealed spotless records.

Aila glanced back at her husband and quirked an eyebrow at him in skepticism. "Why are you allowing me to choose?"

Avarik smiled and gave a quick peck to Aila's lips. "Because my goddess, your handmaiden is going to be a constant presence in your life. Not only will she be your security, but I suspect she will also be your friend. For that reason, I thought you should be able to choose someone who you feel comfortable with."

Aila had no answer to this, so silence fell between her and her husband before Avarik broke the silence. "So let's hurry up and get ready to meet the candidates." Avarik then moved from the bed, sliding a hand around Aila so that she was forced to join him.


	19. Ch 18: Selecting a Handmaiden

**Chapter 18: Selecting a Handmaiden**

Aila met the ten candidates for the position of her handmaiden in a large conference room on Avarik's Star Destroyer. She knew that each candidate would be well qualified in the technical aspects of the job. Her husband would not have selected them if they were not. So, Aila geared her discussion more towards learning about these women personally rather than professionally. If Avarik was going to force her to choose a handmaiden who would constantly be by her side, she wanted to find someone she could at least talk to.

Avarik sat next to Aila, watching the proceedings while he let her talk. Aila noticed that two of the candidates eyed Avarik warily and were fairly silent. At one point, Aila considered asking her husband to leave since his presence was making them uncomfortable, but in the end she thought it was better to simply eliminate those candidates from her list. Avarik gave Aila enough issues and she did not want to deal with a handmaiden that was terrified of him.

Similarly, Aila eliminated five other candidates because they refused to answer her questions directly. Instead they stared at Avarik and seemed to carefully concoct answers they knew would please him. Aila knew that all the candidates would do their best to stay in Avarik's good graces, which meant following his orders. However, she did not want someone who would completely ignore her. Besides, having a handmaiden that did nothing but agree with Avarik's dark behavior would not help Aila in her struggle to get him to return to the light side of the Force. Her decision was further sealed on these candidates when she noticed a look of lust shining in the eyes of two of them as they stared at her husband.

There were only three candidates who actually talked to Aila directly and seemed genuine in their responses. However, two of them did not seem to connect with her and were not very talkative. This meant that Aila's choice was simple. The only candidate that she was comfortable with and who seemed comfortable with her was Kestin Vanís.

Kestin had long brown hair that was a shade lighter than Aila's. She was the same height and body type of Aila, but if one looked closely they would notice that her skin was slightly paler than Aila's and her blue eyes had more of a gray tinge.

Kestin had graduated in the top of her class at what was then the Republic Academy that trained the future military leaders. With the formation of the Empire, she figured that she would be assigned to one of the Imperial Navy's Star Destroyers as a lieutenant. She had been surprised when Lord Avarik had requested a meeting with her and had been honored when she found out he thought she could make an excellent candidate for his wife's security detail. It was a position that she could have only dreamed of achieving and gave her the opportunity to become a member of the nobility of the new Empire. After watching the Republic she had lived under since birth crumble at the hands of the Separatists, she was excited that she would be part of the new government's upper class.

She had been a bit worried about meeting Aila as she had never seen the woman before. She was not sure if Aila would like her or if she would even like Aila. Although the position as Aila's handmaiden was prestigious, Kestin had feared getting caught with an employer who would treat her poorly. The Sith Lord had a notorious reputation and she worried that his wife would act the same. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Lord Avarik had been rather congenial and Aila appeared to be a friendly person.

Aila could sense that Kestin was a bit nervous, but she could not fault her for it, given that she was in the presence of her husband. The only person that had been safe in Avarik's presence was Aila, so it impressed the Sith's wife that Kestin had been able to hold a conversation with her. Yes, Kestin had cast a few wary glances towards Avarik, but unlike some of the other candidates he had not been the sole object of her attention.

After an hour, of talking, Aila heard her husband speak over their Force bond. "Have you chosen, my goddess?"

"Yes." Aila answered back. "Kestin seems to be the best suited."

'I thought you would say that. You have talked to her the most out of all of them. I will tell the others their services are not needed."

Standing from his chair, and resting his right hand on Aila's shoulder, Avarik addressed the other women in the conference room. "I believe my wife and I have heard enough and we have come to a decision. Although all of you are talented and worthy of this position, I must be sure that Aila is comfortable with her handmaiden as she will be spending a lot of time with her. Therefore, I will ask that Kestin join us." Kestin grinned when her name was called, excitement evident in her eyes. She tried to express her thanks to Aila wordlessly, but she knew she would have a chance to verbalize it later. "The rest of you will be reassigned within the fleet. You will be handed your orders in the landing bay before your departure." The other women sulked in response to the fact that they had not been chosen. Aila was glad when Avarik helped her out of her chair and steered her towards the door so she would not have to see the faces of those who had been rejected. It was an awkward situation that she did not want to deal with.

Avarik escorted Aila back to their quarters, his arm linked with hers. Kestin was following closely behind. Kestin stood wearily at the front door of Avarik's quarters after his lordship and lady entered, unsure of what she was supposed to do. However, Avarik did not make her wait for long before calling her inside to join him and Aila.

"Milord." Kestin greeted the Sith with a bow. "I am honored to serve you."

"You serve my wife." Avarik corrected. "She is the most precious thing in my life, and I am trusting that you will be able to keep her safe."

Kestin felt a tiny bit of unease at Avarik's words, feeling a bit daunted by what she had just signed up for, but she did not let it show on her face. She held her head high and confidently answered. "I will not fail either of you, milord."

"Good. I have some things I must attend to, so this will give you and my wife an opportunity to get to know one another. Your things will be brought to your new quarters, next door, so you can get situated later this evening." Avarik replied. He then turned his attention towards Aila and murmured something into her ear that caused her features to dissolve into a look of trepidation. Kestin noticed it and was curious as to what the Sith had said, but knew it was not her place to pry.

However, when the look of concern still lingered on Aila's face after her husband had left, Kestin could not help asking, "Are you all right, milady?"

Aila cast a small smile towards Kestin. "Yes, I'm fine. Why don't you join me on the couch and we can get to know each other." Aila took a seat on one side of the couch and gestured for Kestin to take the other side.

As she sat down, Kestin began to speak. "Lady Avarik, you look troubled, are you sure…"

"Kenobi." Aila interrupted Kestin with her correction.

"Excuse me, milady?" Kestin's face showed her confusion at Aila's statement.

Aila shook her head sadly and gave a long sigh. "No matter what he says, I am Lady Kenobi, not Avarik. But you do not need to be formal with me, you can call me Aila."

"You aren't married to his lordship?" Kestin did not understand what Aila was saying.

"No, he is my husband, but I refuse to go by his Sith name. He was Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi when I married him."

"The General?" Kestin asked. She blinked several times as she realized that Avarik and Kenobi were one in the same. She had seen countless media reports on Jedi Kenobi and Skywalker, who had been lauded as two of the bravest Jedi in the Republic. She had admired them until she had learned of the Jedi's attempt to take over the Republic. She figured the news of the Jedi treachery had forced her not to recognize the former Jedi as the Sith Lord. However, knowing that Kenobi had joined the Empire and held such a high status position was a great relief in knowing that at least one of the heroes of the Clone Wars had not betrayed the galaxy. She found it rather exciting that she would now be working for him.

"Yes, even though he seems to have forgotten that." Aila answered sadly, allowing silence to fall between her and Kestin.

Kestin fidgeted slightly as she looked for a way to break the awkward moment. "Well… I am sure he has his reasons."

Aila wanted to be angry at Kestin for her words, but she knew that was being unfair. Kestin did not know of the events that led to Obi-Wan's transformation into Darth Avarik. It was just better to let the comment slide and change the subject. "That isn't important right now, tell me more about yourself."


	20. Ch 19: The Uprising Diversion

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, I know it has been a while, figured I'd leave an author's note to explain. I have been suffering from a bad case of writer's block that left me completely unmotivated to write this story. It wasn't that I did not know what to write, it was just that I did not want to write it. I've been writing the "Always in Motion," stories now for over 2 years and creatively I was a bit bored with Aila and Obi-Wan. Don't get me wrong, I love "Always in Motion," and "Always in Motion: If You Love Me," but they do take a lot of my writing time and have prevented me from working on other projects. Anyways, I think I found a solution to my writer's block. I've actually started working on another story aside from this one (It isn't posted on yet, should be soon). So basically when I am tired of one story I can go to the other story and vice versa. Help to get the creative juices flowing.

I will finish "Always in Motion: If You Love Me," I will not let the writer's block stop that. I have spent far two long on both "Always in Motion," and "Always in Motion: If You Love Me," not to finish them. It's just going to take me a bit longer to do that because I need to take a step back from this story periodically. So just letting you all know what is going on. So if you see the other story you aren't surprised.

**

* * *

****Chapter 19: The Uprising Diversion**

"You wished to speak to me, my master?" Avarik kneeled before a large holo image of the Emperor in one of the main comm. centers of his Star Destroyer. He had been looking over some holo maps to determine where he should search for Jedi next when one of his captain's had declared he had an incoming message from the Emperor. Aila had not been thrilled that he had continued to work on his search for the Jedi, but it was an excellent opportunity for her to get to know her handmaiden. Besides, he could not afford to take a break from his pursuit of Skywalker. Everyday his former padawan was allowed to live provided another opportunity for another attack to Aila.

"Yes, Lord Avarik. Before you and Aila leave for Coruscant next week, I need you to complete another task."

"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Avarik fought to hold back a frustrated sigh. He had hoped he would have a week of uninterrupted searching for Jedi as he was determined to find Skywalker.

Sidious gave a wry smile as he took note of his apprentice's stiffening posture. "You are not happy about this mission, my young apprentice."

"No, milord. I am glad to serve the Empire."

Sidious chuckled slightly as he responded. "You are glad to serve the Empire only because it protects your wife and unborn son, Lord Avarik. I know you have been searching for the Jedi since we last spoke and it is your wish to continue this search."

"Yes, my Master." Avarik agreed. His head was bowed in supplication to his Master as he considered what to say next.

"Which means you would do well to listen to my orders before you rush into judging their purpose." There was a hint of a growl in Sidious voice as he admonished his apprentice.

"I'm sorry, my Master, I…." Avarik began to apologize only to have his words cut off by Sidious.

"I've received word that there is a resistance movement forming on Murkhana." Sidious' eyes flashed in anger as he continued. "Apparently some of our clone troops refuse to follow our orders and have joined with others in an attempt to strike at the Empire."

"Others?" Avarik asked, raising his head so he was looking up at Sidious' gnarled features.

"Yes, my apprentice, others…. A group you will likely be most interested in dealing with personally. Intelligence indicates that the treacherous clones have joined with a small group of Jedi."

Avarik's eyes flashed a sickly yellow color at the mention of his former comrades. Although there was no confirmation that Anakin was there, in Avarik's mind he could picture his former apprentice on that distant planet, plotting against both him and more importantly Aila. He barely heard Sidious' next set of orders as his ears buzzed in repressed rage.

"You will go to Murkhana immediately and put an end to this foolish uprising. See to it that our enemies and those who support them suffer the same fate."

"As you wish." Avarik spoke through gritted teeth as he abruptly ended the transmission and strode towards the door. His eyes were still glowing yellow as anger coursed through him. His breathing was slightly accelerated as he reflexively opened and closed his hands into fists. His dark cloak billowed behind him as he walked out of the communications room and strode towards his quarters. He might be seething with rage at the Jedi, but that was not going to stop him from speaking to Aila before he left. Gone were the days that the Jedi made him leave her without a goodbye, and in a short time another group of them would pay for ever making him do that. He just hoped he would find Skywalker with them.

* * *

"I grew up in Corellia with my family. We lived in a small cottage in the quiet countryside. I used to play in the fields outside our home while my mom took care of things at home. My father was often off the planet working in the shipyards." Kestin paused for a moment waiting for some reaction from Aila. The two of them were still sitting in the sitting room of Lord Avarik's quarters.

"Do you have any siblings?" Aila urged Kestin to continue. She was finding it interesting to learn more about her new handmaiden.

"No, I am an only child. Do you have any siblings, milady?"

"I'm an only child too." Aila answered.

Kestin smiled as she said. "Yes, sometimes it would have been nice to have a sibling. When I got older, I wished I had an older sister that my mother could nag instead of me."

Aila laughed a little, "Let me guess, she wanted you married with a set of children she could spoil."

Kestin gave a snort of laughter of her own. "How did you guess?"

Aila smiled. "Because my mother wanted the same thing. She was elated the day I brought Obi-Wan…" Aila trailed off and her smile fell as she recalled the past. It hurt to think how much Obi-Wan had changed since that first meeting with her parents and she felt a pang of regret as she recalled her parents fear at their meeting of Lord Avarik a couple months ago. Trying to change the subject, Aila asked Kestin, "So do your parents still live on Corellia?"

It was time for Kestin's features to fall and she shook her head sadly. "The both passed away about five years ago."

"I'm sorry." Aila instinctively leaned in to place a reassuring hand on Kestin's.

Kestin shrugged. "My father was killed in an accident at work. He was working on a new freighter and the hyper drive system blew up while he was working on it." Kestin slid her hand from Aila's and brushed away a tear that slipped from her right eye. "It was hard, it is still hard. I miss him." Kestin paused for a moment to settle herself and rein in her emotions before continuing. "It tore my mother apart. She died a few years later, I think of a broken heart. He might have been away a lot, but my mother and father were very much in love."

"I'm sure they were." Aila supplied, at a loss of what else to say.

"I often say that their deaths were fate. Had they lived I probably would have stayed on Corellia and settled down to raise a family, but instead I went to the Republic Academy to see the galaxy. In the end, I am happy with my decision." Kestin smiled slightly as she finished.

"You don't want to raise a family?" Instinctively, Aila placed a hand to her abdomen.

Kestin spotted the gesture. "I take it you are carrying his lordship's child."

Aila nodded giving a sad smile, her worry for her child's future battling with the happiness of having the tiny life growing within her.

"Right now I'm content with my career." Kestin stated. She had decided that her future might have been meant for greater things than a family could provide. "I have not found that man that catches my eye and I might never find him. After all, the academy was filled with thousands of them and I did not find one there."

"Well you never know when you will find him. I met Obi-Wan on accident. His starfighter crashed on my planet."

"And where are you from, milady?" Kestin asked, feeling more relaxed around Aila she was curious about her employer.

"A planet called Earth; you probably have never heard of it, it is beyond the Outer Rim." Aila answered, not sure what else she could say.

Kestin's brow furrowed as she shook her head. "No, is it near…." However, Kestin was not able to finish her question because the front door to Avarik's quarters slid open and the Sith Lord entered. Kestin noticed that when Avarik first entered his eyes were a dangerous shade of amber, but as his gaze caught hold of Aila's they reverted back to their natural blue-green color.

Avarik strode the few steps towards Aila who stood from her chair. His eyes were solely locked on his wife's as he spoke to her handmaiden. "Kestin, I need to speak to Aila alone for a few moments and then I need to speak to you as well. I am leaving on a mission for the Emperor and will need you to watch over my wife. Can you please wait here for a moment?" Avarik took Aila's hand and helped her off of the couch and gestured that she should move towards the back rooms of their home. Aila did follow his direction, but her face paled with the knowledge that her husband would be hunting Jedi once more.

"Of course, milord." Kestin answered, standing from her spot and bowing at the Sith Lord.

"Good, wait here." Avarik answered, before following after Aila.


	21. Ch 20: The Stolen Kiss

**Chapter 20: The Stolen Kiss**

"The Emperor has sent me on a mission to Murkhana. There is a band of Jedi there trying to form a resistance movement." Obi-Wan explained once the bedroom door closed behind him. He strode towards Aila, who had her back to him, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"And you are going to kill them. Their crime, being brave enough to stand up to Sidious." A shiver ran down Aila's spine at the thought that soon others would fall to Avarik's blind vengeance.

"I don't know why you stand up for them, my goddess. They tried to kill you." A hint of a plea was evident in Avarik's voice as he tried to get Aila to see things his way.

Aila turned towards Avarik, locking her eyes with her husband's. "That is Sidious talking."

"Yes, but that just verifies it." Avarik shrugged as he continued. "He's never lied to us, never tried to split us apart. From day one the Jedi tried to tear us from one another. Windu and Mundi were recorded with their intentions to kill you, and Anakin stole you from me and then sent a bounty hunter off of you. I saw his signature on the bounty hunters orders."

"Obi-Wan!" Aila shouted impatiently. "Will you please stop thinking like a Sith and start thinking like the Jedi I married! The Sith are the enemies of the Jedi. They are evil. Sidious can easily manipulate recordings and orders to frame them. He's using you!"

"Your judgment is clouded by those movies you watched once." Avarik stated raising his left hand to gently brush aside a stray strand of Aila's hair that had fallen in front of her face in her anger.

Aila jerked away from Avarik's touch. "Which is why I don't understand you. How can you follow Sidious when you saw those movies too? You know what he is! The man I married was going to stop him, not join him."

"You take those movies at face value, my goddess, but they do not show the treachery that the Jedi showed us. The movies paint the Jedi as heroes, but after what they put us through, we know better."

"You know I'm not saying what they did to us is right, but they are not murderers. They do not deserve to be killed. You have the wrong enemy!" Aila countered.

Avarik sighed and shook his head.

Tired of being patient with her husband, Aila felt her own temper start to rage as she released her pent up anger and resentment at her husband. She tried to stop him from killing innocent Jedi each time he found them and every time he ignored her. It broke Aila's heart each time a Jedi was killed. The Council had been unkind to her and Obi-Wan, but she could not fathom killing them and the rest of the Jedi over it. There was little she could to stop a determined Sith or Jedi, but she felt compelled to talk some reason into her husband. Unfortunately, the rational Jedi she married had been replaced with a Sith Lord. "Listen to yourself; you are not making any sense!"

"I know I am right my goddess, and some day you will know too." Avarik replied and then leaned in to capture Aila's lips in a kiss.

"No!" Aila stated, taking a step back from her husband. "You are trying to get me to okay your trip to Murkhana and I won't do it! It's wrong." She began backpedaling some more as Avarik continued to walk towards her.

"I am only looking to say farewell before I leave. That should be very telling, my goddess. The Jedi tried to deny us these moments, the Sith have not." Avarik reached for Aila's right hand, trying to pull her to him.

"No!" Aila jerked her hand away from Avarik's grasp. However as she did that the back of her legs hit the end of their bed and caught off balance by her sudden movement she fell backwards against it. Avarik followed her, pinning her to the bed underneath him, intent on receiving his kiss goodbye.

"I'll miss you, my goddess." Avarik whispered huskily as he nuzzled Aila's cheek as she had turned her head to the side to avoid his questing lips. Her hands were pressed against the hard planes of his chest trying to push him off of her.

"I said no!" Aila bit out vehemently. "I'm not going to kiss you when you are going off to do something I don't agree with."

"One of these days, you'll agree." Avarik answered back before swiftly turning Aila's chin towards him and sealing her reluctant lips with his. For her part, Aila pushed more insistently at his chest, trying to break the unwanted kiss. When she realized she could not wriggle from her husband's grasp a silent tear started to form in her eye for he had taken something she had not been willing to give.

When his lips finally parted from Aila's, Avarik smiled and slowly pulled her up into a sitting position, "Now, that wasn't too bad…." He was stopped from finishing his next sentence when he noticed a tear fall from Aila's eye and make a small trail down her cheek. "Aila, what's wrong." Avarik asked with concern.

Aila did not answer, but closed her eyes so she could prevent herself from looking at him.

"Aila?" Avarik tried to brush the tear from her face, but with the feel of her husband's calloused thumb against her face, Aila jerked away from his touch. "Aila, talk to me."

Again, Aila was silent, but in her silence she concentrated heavily on their Force bond and used all of her strength to close her end of it. In the end closing the Force bond would hurt her as well, but this was the only way she knew to show her husband how hurt she was by him. Even though he had hurt her, Aila still loved her husband and aside from hitting him, which she did not believe in, this seemed to be the least violent way of driving her point home. She could not let Avarik push her around, and her power over their Force bond gave her a small edge against the physical and Force enhanced abilities of her husband.

Feeling her connection to his wife diminishing, Avarik's eyes widened in fear. "Aila! No! Wait!" He closed his own eyes as he called upon his own powers to keep the bond opened.

"I will keep at this all day if I have to." Aila stated coldly, her eyes remaining closed as she focused on her task.

"You will wear yourself out, and that is not good for you or the baby." Avarik pleaded.

"I won't tire if you leave it alone. The choice is yours. Force me to submit to you or let me do as I please." Aila punctuated this sentence by letting her resentment at their stolen kiss flow to Obi-Wan through the still opened portion of the bond.

"Aila, talk to me!" Avarik shouted with impatience. He reeled back as if slapped when she sent him more of her emotions. She sent him anger, loathing, hurt, and betrayal and those last two emotions were connected to her love for him. With utter incredulity he asked, "You are angry because of a kiss?" He was still pressing on the Force bond in an attempt to keep it open.

"I am angry because Lord Avarik stole a kiss that was not his. My husband, Obi-Wan Kenobi would not do that." Aila answered, still concentrating on her Force bond. Struggling against Avarik actions to their bond was causing a light sheen of sweat to form on her forehead.

Avarik's eyes flashed yellow for a moment. Once again she was splitting him into two people, trying to claim his Jedi self was stronger than the Sith. "How many times do I have to tell you that name no longer has any meaning for me?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that Avarik has no meaning for me?" Aila spat back.

Avarik growled in frustration at Aila's words and pushed harder on their Force bond. He did not relent until he heard Aila give a small whimper of pain. Avarik's eyes opened at once to see Aila's face forming a grimace as she fought against him. At her sides her fists were clenched so tightly in her struggle that they had turned white. Although it angered him to have to give in to Aila's wishes he could not have her harm herself or their child so he finally ended his struggle, allowing Aila to sever their bond.

Avarik groaned in a combination of agony, despair, and anger as he felt his connection to Aila disappear. Aila swayed slightly from her seated position on the bed and Avarik tried to steady her so she would not fall, but stubbornly Aila shrugged off his attempt to help. "You need to rest."

"I will do as I please." Aila stated coldly, finally opening her eyes to glare up at Avarik.

"As long as it involves resting." Avarik warned, worried about what would happen to her and the baby if she did not rest.

"Are you going to force me?" Aila asked, her eyes flashing dangerously as she carefully enunciated each word. Reminding Avarik that he was not to repeat his transgressions from the past.

Avarik stared at Aila for a moment, tempted to go through with her suggestion, but he restrained himself despite the anger he was feeling. His eyes flashed yellow with suppressed rage. He had to leave before he did something he would later regret. "I have to leave. We will talk about this when I return."

Avarik had turned away from her, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Aila whisper, "What makes you think I'll still be here?"

A wave of panic washed over Avarik followed by the growing tension of his own fury. He turned back towards Aila intent on making her stay.

Aila realized too late the ramifications of her temper induced statement and the malevolence in her husband's eyes caused a tremor of fear to run through her. Reflexively, she placed a protective hand over her abdomen to protect their unborn child.

Somehow seeing Aila's reflexive movement was able to penetrate into Avarik's psyche and gave him pause. Additionally there was a strange ripple in the Force that calmed him further as it seemed to indicate Aila would stay. With his anger dissipating from what the Force showed him, Avarik murmured. "We'll see about that," before promptly turning around and leaving before something else changed his mind.


	22. Ch 21: Darkness vs Love

**Chapter 21: Darkness vs. Love**

Avarik stormed from his bedroom and went to his office in the front of his quarters to retrieve one of his cloaks that was stowed in there. Caught up in anger and pain at Aila's actions and threats, he took no notice of Aila's handmaiden, Kestin, waiting for his orders in their sitting room.

"Milord?" Kestin called out to Avarik before he could exit his front door to depart on his mission. She took a reflexive step backwards when a pair of sickly yellow eyes stared back at her as he whipped around to face her.

Fueled by anger, Avarik rounded on Kestin, intent on taking his rage out on someone.

"Mi… Mi… Milord? Kestin continued to backpedal until her back hit one of the far walls. Fear shone in her eyes as Avarik stepped up to her and started to raise his right hand in a gesture that seemed to indicate he was about to choke her. Kestin's heart rate accelerated and she took great gasping breaths as she tried to think of something to say against the Sith's actions.

"Do… do… you have any specific orders for Aila's care?" Kestin stuttered out.

At the sound of his wife's name, Avarik's resolve faltered and he realized he was staring down at her horror struck handmaiden. Taking his own deep breath, Avarik turned from Kestin and without a word strode back towards his front door. The only sound that could be heard in the sitting room was the deep gasping breaths of Kestin and the rustle of Avarik's cloak as he moved away from her.

Kestin laid a hand over her frantically beating heart as Avarik walked away from her, willing herself to calm down. She was just starting to regain her composure when Avarik's eyes flashed dangerously at her and he whispered, "Protect her, and make sure she takes care of herself." The front door slid shut behind Avarik before Kestin could respond.

On the other side of his quarters, Avarik growled in anger as he searched for something to hit. Crew members that had been coming towards the Sith's quarters, heard Avarik's fierce growl and immediately ran to escape his wrath.

Avarik had taken ten steps away from his quarters when he abruptly turned back towards the door. He was furious with Aila and wanted to make her see reason before he left. He felt empty and alone without their Force bond being open and although he was not sure what he was going to do to her, he was determined to get that bond back open. Instinctively, Avarik's fists clenched at his sides as he stepped closer to his door. He would not allow Aila to shut him out even if he had to resort to drastic measures to persuade her to change her mind. The various plans forming in Avarik's head seemed to make the golden hue in his sithly eyes glow with a greater intensity than they had ever done.

Avarik was about to go through with his dangerous thoughts, but an urgent ripple in the Force and a voice in his head rang out before he could wave his doorway open. "She loves you!"

Avarik stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes in seeming pain at the sound of the unknown voice. When he reopened his eyes, they had returned to their natural blue green color. Gripping the door frame, Avarik leaned his forehead on the cold durasteel of his door as he took in great calming breaths. As always, his conscience was right. Aila did love him, and Avarik loved her. He might not like what she had done, but he also knew that he would not do something to harm his beloved to change her mind.

He felt a strong urge to rush to Aila's side and beg for her forgiveness, but he could also feel his anger bubbling under the surface and at the moment he did not trust himself in his wife's presence. He needed more time to fully bring his emotions under control and he suspected Aila would be more receptive to his apology if he gave her some time to cool off as well. Giving a deep sigh of resignation that he was going to be leaving for his mission without Aila's comforting presence over their Force bond, he straightened himself up as he stared blankly at the closed door. "I won't be long my goddess, I love you." Avarik murmured in farewell to the door before he went to locate his starfighter.

* * *

"Milady? Are you all right?" Kestin asked calmly as she entered Avarik and Aila's bedroom to check on her mistress. Her hands still shook slightly after her encounter with Avarik. He had looked crazed and Kestin had feared for Aila's well being. She was relieved to see that Aila was sitting up of her own volition at the foot of the bed.

"Yes." Aila replied meekly, not looking up at Kestin. As much as Avarik hated having their Force bond cut off, Aila hated it as well. She felt like she had lost her best friend. However, it just wasn't the closing of her Force bond that was bothering her, it was that Obi-Wan had pushed her to do something she did not want. He had betrayed her trust.

"Did he hurt you, milady?" Kestin's head was quirked to one side with concern etched across her features. After catching a glimpse of Avarik's rage, Kestin could only imagine what he could be capable of doing.

"No… Yes… No." Aila flip-flopped before settling on her answer with a shrug. She was frustrated with herself because even though she was upset by her husband's behavior, she still felt pain at losing her connection to him because despite her anger there was still love in her heart.

"Milady…." Kestin knelt down to get a better look at her mistress, but Aila waved her away.

"It's nothing, my husband and I just had a fight. It happens. I just… I just need to be alone for a little while."

"He didn't hit you, did he?" Kestin asked, still scrutinizing Aila.

Aila's head shot up to look at her handmaiden. "No!" She shouted vehemently, and then calmed her tone down as she shook her head and repeated. "No. It was just an argument." Aila was silent for a moment until she suggested. "Why don't you go unpack your things in your room? I know you have not had a chance to do that yet."

Kestin bit her lip in hesitation, but she could tell Aila could use some time alone to muddle though her own feelings. "You will call for me if you need me."

Aila smiled faintly. "Yes, I will. However, I'm probably going to call it an early night tonight and go to bed."

Kestin nodded. "Well if you need me, I'll be right next door and I'll see if I can't ask the comm. team to get me a comlink so you can just call me on it."

"All right." Aila nodded as her gaze drifted to her clasped hands in her lap.

Kestin flashed Aila another look of concern, but did not say anything more before taking her leave.

When the bedroom door closed behind her handmaiden, Aila raised a hand to brush away a stray tear she had been holding back. "What am I going to do?" She murmured to herself. Although she could not feel it, the Force rippled around her.

"The same thing you always do, just love him." The voice of Qui-Gon answered her.

"I suspect you don't approve of me closing off our Force bond." Aila responded bitterly, recalling their previous conversation over a similar fight she had had with her husband.

"No." Qui-Gon's voice answered calmly. "I think given the circumstances, Obi-Wan needed to be reminded of the ramifications of his actions."

Aila sighed. "Why does he have to be so difficult?"

"You of all people know he's stuck. The Jedi hurt him, and the Sith have consoled him. Actually, you don't know this, but he has questioned his loyalty to Sidious." Qui-Gon voice continued the conversation.

"Really?!" A sharp burst of hope caused Aila's heart to flutter. "How do you know?"

"I could sense it."

"When did this happen?" Aila asked, not hiding her excitement.

"Don't get too excited, milady. It will only bring you heartache later." Qui-Gon counseled before adding, "It was when he was punished by the Emperor. Obi-Wan had been intent on overthrowing him because deep down he knows he is evil. However, he was also intent on holding onto that power for himself, so he has not shrugged away from the ways of the Sith."

"I know." Aila moaned, placing a hand to her forehead to massage the headache that was forming. "But I'd almost take the small victory of having Sidious gone, it might be easier to reach Obi-Wan and make him see reason."

"Perhaps." Qui-Gon's voice echoed. "But then again, Obi-Wan might submerse himself in the dark side of the Force once control over the galaxy is his. It could make the situation worse. Like I told you before, we must be careful. For you, living with Obi-Wan is going to be a constant struggle. You've already seen it. Some days he's calm and collected others he's cloaked in darkness. The dark side does not give up its followers easily, whether they are a Master or an Apprentice."

Aila shook her head morosely. "I just want my husband back. My husband would never betray my trust like Avarik just did."

"And the part of him that is Obi-Wan is deeply sorry for what happened. He knows it was wrong."

Aila snorted derisively, "Maybe, but he stormed out of here and did not return, I suspect he is off to go kill those Jedi Sidious told him about."

There was a hint of regret in Qui-Gon's voice. "Yes, he is. However, he is going with a sense of guilt over what he did to you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Aila asked incredulously, not hiding her annoyance at the unseen specter.

"No." Qui-Gon answered matter-of-factly. "But, I think you should know that only a man who loves you would feel guilty over hurting you."

"You want me to forgive him again, don't you?" Aila was a bit choked up as she asked her question because despite her misgivings, she feared what would happen to Obi-Wan if she did not let this latest transgression go.

Qui-Gon did not speak as if he was influencing Aila to one decision or another, he merely laid out the facts for her to analyze. "That is not my decision to make, milady. You must weigh the pros and cons and make that decision on your own. I told you once that love can fight darkness. I am not saying that you have to agree with what Obi-Wan did. His actions were uncalled for and he deserves to be reminded of that, but at the same time you must ask yourself if you can honestly cut him off from his one source of love, his one source of light."

"No." Aila murmured to herself. "I…" She faltered as her headache flared up again. Fighting against Obi-Wan to close their bond had worn her out more than she suspected.

"You should rest before answering that milady. Give yourself and Obi-Wan time to think over everything." Qui-Gon knew that Aila was reluctant to follow through with Obi-Wan's orders that she rest. After the argument they had just had, he knew she was thinking it was Avarik's way of controlling her, but at the same time, Aila did need to take care of herself for the sake of the baby. Losing Aila would push Avarik into darkness so that Obi-Wan could never be saved, but losing the baby would be as bad if not worse.

"I'll sleep in a while." Aila stated with a hint of defiance.

"Your baby needs you to rest, milady. You should lie down." Qui-Gon put the weight of the Force into his voice to influence Aila's decision. He would not persuade her feelings for Obi-Wan, but he would at least make sure she took care of herself.

Aila yawned as she stubbornly said, "Fine, but I can think in bed." She crawled towards her pillows and slid under the covers.

Through the Force, Qui-Gon smiled at Aila's resolve. She was definitely strong willed. Even in her weakened state she was able to fight of his Force suggestions, but he knew that eventually she would succumb. "Milady, sleep is more important at this point, your decision can wait." Again, Qui-Gon used the Force to enhance his words.

Aila's eyes fluttered closed as she fought against sleep. "I love him." She murmured drowsily before giving another yawn.

"I know you do. He knows it too, but now it's time to sleep." At this last suggestion, Aila's mind relaxed as she entered the land of dreams. Qui-Gon kept a watchful eye on her for a moment to ensure she was truly at rest before his spirit dissipated into the Force to wait and watch for events to come.


	23. Ch 22: A Clouded Future

**Chapter 22: A Clouded Future**

After barking a few orders at his crew, Avarik ran to his starfighter and left for his mission. He was trying to distance himself from Aila as he worked through his frustration at her closure of their Force bond. Although he hated to admit it, he could see why Aila had closed their bond. Since before their marriage, every kiss they had shared had been mutually given. However, in a display of greed he had tried to take a kiss from Aila she had been unwilling to share.

Although Avarik was certain Aila's reasoning for withholding the kiss was incorrect, he still shouldn't have pushed her. Now she had threatened to leave him for his violation against her and although Avarik could feel his anger simmering at this thought, he also felt a great wave of guilt wash over him. He had been too caught up in his baser needs to realize what he was doing to Aila and now he risked losing her forever. To make matters worse, it was not a death threat that was separating them, but his own selfish actions. His only hope was that after a cooling off period, he would be able to convince her he was truly sorry for his behavior. Avarik hoped that once he returned from Murkhana and begged for Aila's forgiveness, she would decide to stay by his side.

Having flown a safe distance from his Star Destroyer, Avarik began to input the coordinates that would take him into hyperspace before he rendezvoused with his enemies on Murkhana. He was just about to engage his hyperdrive system, when he felt something familiar. "Aila?" He murmured as he turned his head to look over his shoulder, as if he expected her to be standing behind him. Unfortunately all Avarik saw was the cold durasteel frame of his starfighter, but a faint smile spread across his face at the feeling of his wife's presence across their Force bond.

"Aila?" Avarik murmured softly, his heart swelling with joy that she had forgiven him for his reprehensible behavior. He closed his eyes and let his own love for her flow through their bond, only to have his moment of happiness shatter.

He could hear a soft sigh from Aila as she called out his name, "Obi-Wan." He could even feel love for him flowing from her side of the bond, but as he probed a bit further, he could also sense the idleness of his wife's sleeping mind. Relief had washed over him when his Force bond had opened up, but now he realized that Aila had not done it out of forgiveness, but merely because her control had slipped while she was lost in slumber.

Slumping back against the seat in his starfighter, Avarik gave a deep forlorn sigh. "I'm sorry, my goddess." His guilt and weary sadness slowly leaked over their bond.

Back on Avarik's Star Destroyer, Aila instinctively reached a hand out to Avarik's side of the bed trying to soothe away the discomfort she could feel from him, only to have her hand hit the bed linens. "Obi-Wan?" Aila began to shift restlessly as her hand unconsciously continued its search for her husband.

Shaken out of his reverie at Aila's use of his former name, Avarik realized his emotions were slowly beginning to rouse her. Although he would have liked to have her awake to open her Force bond of her own free will, he reasoned that at this time she would probably just start another fight with him and he still questioned his own control. Additionally, he knew that given her exertions over their previous argument, she really did need some rest to recover from the effort of keeping that Force bond closed against the insistence of a Sith Lord.

With a light reassuring caress to her mind, Avarik lulled Aila back to sleep, smiling faintly as he could almost sense her happy sigh as she snuggled under the blankets of their bed. "I'll make it up to you, my goddess." Avarik apologized with a soft whisper over their bond. "Sleep well." He added before taking a deep breath and closed the Force bond with Aila, once more. It pained him to close his link to his beloved wife, but deep down he knew she would have wanted it that way. She had closed it to prove a point to him and forcing it open while her mind was in a state of rest would do nothing to garner her favor. Avarik just hoped that in the time it took him to finish his mission, that Aila would be willing to hear him out because despite there constant arguments of late, Avarik could not imagine life without her.

* * *

Anakin sat on the floor before his two small children that were lying on their stomachs, their heads lifted and wide smiles across their faces as they watched their father levitate several colorful balls in front of them, rotating them for their amusement. Squeals of delight passed the lips of the two infants as they were enthralled by their father's abilities. The sound was infectious, causing a smile to form across the Jedi Master's face, breaking through the somber mood he had been in over the last few days.

"I should leave you alone with the children more often if it makes you smile like that." Padmé commented as she came into the room, shrugging off the cloak she had worn to pick some items up at one of Alderaan's village markets. No one had seemed to notice the once famed Nubian Senator or her equally famous Jedi husband, but the couple always wore their heavy cloaks to hide their faces from potential enemies lurking about when roaming around more populated areas of the planet. Generally the couple kept themselves and their family secure in their small cottage.

The balls Anakin was holding up with the Force fell to the ground as he became distracted by Padmé's comment. "I was just smiling because I sensed you were home." He stated as he turned his head towards her to receive a quick peck to the lips. Luke and Leia paid no attention to their parents as the both held a hand out and struggled to reach one of the colorful balls on the floor.

"Sure you were." Padmé smiled knowingly, before she turned more serious. She knelt down so she was at Anakin's level and tenderly raised a hand to caress his cheek. "For whatever the reason, I'm just glad to see you smile, you've been so upset lately. You've felt more killings?"

Anakin sighed. "Yes…"

"And the Force tells you there will be more?" Padmé asked, certain that it was, since all the news they had heard of late was that of Jedi in hiding being slaughtered.

"Yes, but…" Anakin faltered for a moment. "The thing is, I don't know. In my previous meditations I could clearly see Jedi being killed, but in this one, it's different."

"How so?" Padmé's eyebrows rose in intrigue at her husband's admission.

"In one instance I can see Obi-Wan slaughtering a small group of Jedi, but then everything shifts and the Jedi go free. I can't even tell where he is going, everything looks clouded." Anakin shook his head in frustration. The Force had always given him answers, and he could not understand why it was not yielding them now.

"Maybe something will happen that will save the Jedi." Padmé speculated out loud.

Anakin snorted derisively. "There is very little that would stop Obi-Wan in his current state of mind. What I need to do it talk to Aila, and then I would know where we stand so that I can form a proper plan. Neither of us have come up with anything in the past few days."

Padmé flashed Anakin a look of sympathy, "I know inaction upsets you, but what can we do. You can't send her an anonymous note, that would either rouse suspicion or she wouldn't read it since she would not realize it was you. And you can't very well sign it with your own name, for Obi-Wan would then track us down. So how do you expect to contact her?"

Anakin was silent for a moment his eyes blinking as he recalled a heated argument he had once had with Aila. The memory brought forth another idea. "I could use another name she would recognize."

"Like what?" Padmé asked, confusion spreading across her features as she tried to think up an answer to her question on her own.

Anakin had a dazed look as his mind worked out a plan. "They are going to the Emperor's birthday celebration. Other Imperial nobles will be there…."

"So…?" Padmé prodded, not sure what her husband was getting at.

"So…." Anakin answered back. "So, after the celebration I could send a note posing as an Imperial noble."

"Anakin, why would Aila want to talk to one of them? What would drive her to read such a letter and whose name are you planning on using?" Padmé did not hide her skepticism at her husband's plan. "And are you sure Obi-Wan doesn't know this name?"

Anakin raised a hand to silence Padmé's protest as he stared blankly into the distance as he worked through the details of his plan. "He might, but then again he might have forgotten…. It could work."

Padmé's eyes widened in fear and a treble of urgency entered her voice. "Anakin, hold on, we need to talk about this! You are rushing into this because you are upset we need to work through the details…."

"No matter what we are going to have to take a chance. We… Ouch!" Anakin shouted loudly as he placed a hand on the back of his head that had just been hit by an unknown object. He turned sharply behind him, only to be greeted by the impish giggles of his two young children, while one of their colored balls rolled away. "What the?"

In answer to their father's question, both Luke and Leia raised a hand out to one of their colored balls and a moment later it was sailing towards their father's head. However, this time Anakin raised his own hand and stopped the projectile before it hit him. Both Luke and Leia squealed with delight at their own cleverness.

"You two think that's funny?" Anakin failed to sound stern as he began to chuckle along with his two children and drew them up in her arms Behind him, Padmé gave a small laugh at her children's antics, but her face also showed the concern at her husband's latest plan to confront Obi-Wan. Normally, seeing her children perform a small feat with the Force would have usually given her pause for concern for their own safety, but at the moment she was relieved the twins had broken their father's concentration. Hopefully once this family moment had passed, she could confront Anakin and rationally work through the details of his plan. She needed Anakin to look at all the ramifications of his plan because if something went wrong it could cost them everything.


	24. Ch 23: The Merchant Vessel

**Chapter 23: The Merchant Vessel**

Orbiting the planet of Murkhana, Avarik waited for his astromech droid to finish its scan of the planet so he could decide on the best plan for sneaking up on his enemies. Without a plan, Avarik was certain he could deal a decisive blow to the treacherous Jedi hiding from him. However, by taking a few moments to complete the scan he hoped he would be able to prevent any Jedi from escaping, particularly Skywalker, if he was with them. Since the Jedi's threat to kill Aila, Avarik had vowed to eradicate them, and it would do him no good to let them run free.

After a lengthy silence which Avarik occupied by running through all the Jedi's crimes against him and Aila, the astromech droid displayed the results of its scan. He offered no praise to the little droid, despite the fact that the information pleased him. Instead he punched in the coordinates so he could land just along the outskirts of the one largely populated camp on the planet. He would then use stealth to approach the unknowing Jedi and strike at them before they could react. As his ship lurched forward into the planet's atmosphere, Avarik's eyes started to gleam yellow. Upon landing on the ground, he let out a soft growl as he murmured, "I have you now."

* * *

In one of the landing bays of Avarik's Star Destroyer, a small merchant ship landed amid a small contingent of troops. The small Corellian freighter had hailed the Imperial ship for it was in need of repairs. The officers on the Star Destroyer only allowed the tiny freighter into the landing bay after they had provided the proper Imperial merchant identification, and had agreed to a security sweep of their vessel.

Upon landing in the hangar bay, two teams of clone troopers boarded the freighter. One team scoured the ships corridors looking for anything that seemed suspicious or out of place. The other team questioned the crew, verifying their identities and finding out what was wrong with their ship. When both teams of troops relayed back to the commanding officers that all was clear, the officers gave the go ahead for the ships' crew to commence with their repairs.

A large set of tools was brought out to the band of merchants who graciously accepted them and went about working on their ship. For the most part, the merchants were left in peace to complete their repairs on their own. Only a small group of four clone troopers stayed with them to stand guard.

A few hours after the freighter's vessel, the Star Destroyer entered its evening cycle and much of the destroyer's crew settled down to sleep. There was a small group of troops awake to maintain the ship's operations, but not enough to closely monitor what was happening in one of the ship's landing bays. Knowing the lateness of the hour, the leader of the merchants nodded to the other four members of his crew.

In response to this silent request, the five men slid aside a portion of their ship's floor and revealed a secret storage hold. The five men then pulled out a blaster each, and immediately set them to stun. So as not to alert their clone guards, the merchants acted quickly, moving swiftly and silently through their ship until they reached the exit ramp.

The man who had nodded to his four compatriots and started this plan extended a heavily muscled arm out to stop his companions' progress while he poked his head out of the ship to check on the security situation outside. Two clones were standing at the base of the landing ramp, staring out at the far wall. The other two clones could not be seen, but the merchant was certain that they were on the other side of the ship.

With a gesture, the lead merchant signaled for his companions to move. Two stalked out of the landing platform, jumping from the top of it and landed catlike on the ground below it without alerting themselves to the clones at the bottom of the ramp. The two merchants' eyes immediately caught sight of the two other clones sent to guard them and their freighter, standing at the opposite end of the ship, their gaze fixed away from them. With a moment's pause, both merchants aimed their blasters' at the back of the clones' necks and the small space between their body armor and helmets. With deadly precision, they fired and watched the two clones fall to the ground in a heap.

The sound of blaster fire and the clatter of falling armor of the stunned clones alerted the other clones at the base of the landing platform to the merchants' antics. The two clones turned towards the commotion. However, they too fell to a heap on the floor when blaster fire sounded from the top of the ramp and hit them in the neck as well.

"Good shot, you two." The ringleader praised his companions who were standing beside him at the top of the landing ramp. Then with a dismissive wave of his hand he gestured towards the fallen clones and said, "Go, get them." He followed the two men down the ramp to check on the others he had sent to dispatch with the other clones, and was pleased to see them dragging the clones' limp bodies.

One man groaned as he heaved a clone's body toward the ship's ramp. "Urgh boss, I think this one is dead."

The ringleader, and the one known as boss, shrugged his broad shoulders, causing the thin material of his shirt to stretch and show the outline of his muscled torso through it. "You must have broken his neck. Not our problem. Besides he won't be missed, the Empire can just make more of them. Just stow all of them in the ship and get in their armor quickly. You four have to stand guard while I find us something of value to steal."

The boss's four companions laughed. Through gritted teeth as he pulled at his own clone, one commented, "I can't believe those banthas fell for that bogus code you gave them. They honestly thought we were legal merchants."

One of the other men asked, "Where did you ever get that code?"

Puffing out his chest proudly, the boss answered back, "A good smuggler never reveals his secrets." He took a moment to bask in his own brilliance before sharply addressing his crew. "Get those four stored away and get in their armor. I want it to look like nothing is out of place so that the crew is not alerted to my wanderings. I'll find us something good to compensate for our troubles."


	25. Ch 24: The Break In

**Chapter 24: The Break In**

Kestin came back and checked on Aila periodically after Avarik left. She was worried about her friend and employer and wanted to make sure she was resting comfortably. After witnessing the full extent of his rage, Kestin did not want to give Lord Avarik a reason to be angry over the care she had given Aila.

Aila was eventually roused by her handmaiden's presence, even though Kestin was careful to be quiet so as not to wake her up. "Kestin?" Aila asked sleepily as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She yawned and stretched as her eyes focused on her handmaiden.

Kestin paused her movement. She had her back to Aila as she attempted to creep silently from Aila and Avarik's bedroom. When she turned back towards Aila, her face was remorseful, apologetic that she had disturbed Aila from her slumber. "I'm sorry to disturb you, milady. I was just checking to make sure you were all right."

Aila smiled at her handmaiden's concern, "Not a problem…" She paused to glance at a small chrono atop the bedside table on Avarik's side of the bed. "It appears I've slept long enough as it is."

Kestin shook her head, "It hasn't been that long, besides it is still evening. With all you have been through, you should get some more rest. I'll leave you in peace…."

Aila's brow furrowed as she took in what Kestin was saying. She gave a great sigh as her mind started to piece things together. "My husband frightened you, didn't he?"

Blinking in surprise at Aila's perceptiveness, Kestin answered back, "How did you know?"

Aila gave out a derisive snort of laughter as she brushed her fingers through her hair, "Because lately he does that to everybody, including me!"

"Well… Why don't you leave…?" Kestin's voice was barely a whisper as she made her suggestion, but she trailed off and raised her voice as she rethought her statement. "I am sorry milady; it is not my place to…"

Aila waved aside Kestin's apology. "It's a fair question, and the answer is both simple and complicated." Aila paused and gazed wistfully at the empty spot that was Avarik's side of the bed. "I stay because I love him. We may argue a lot, but I love him and I know he loves me."

"But he treats you…"

Aila interrupted Kestin before she could finish her statement. "That is his Master's influence, the Sith. The man I married is kind and gentle. He just doesn't always show himself. His Sith side pushes me away, but deep down the Jedi in him needs me." Aila fell silent and reflected on what she had just said. The words sounded a bit odd after the way she had felt before her nap. She had to admit that she sounded like Qui-Gon, analyzing Obi-Wan's behavior. Now that she searched her own feelings she knew she would reopen her Force bond with her husband, but she wanted to have a long conversation with him once he got home before that happened. Like Qui-Gon had said, she needed to make it clear to Obi-Wan that she was disappointed with him. However, at the same time, she had to forgive him and give him her love and support for his Jedi behavior so she could drive a wedge between Obi-Wan and Sidious.

Shaking out of her musings, Aila lifted her eyes to Kestin's, "It is hard to explain, other than I love him. He and I are going to have a long conversation about his behavior and what I will and will not allow." Aila shrugged. "He might not like what I have to say, but it is for his own good."

"He just seemed so…" Kestin's voice was full of concern for Aila.

"Angry." Aila finished with a nod. "It isn't all his fault. He was hurt really badly by the Jedi Council and they unwittingly pushed him towards his Sith Master."

"But Chancellor Palpatine has helped end the war and secured the galaxy." Kestin backed up the leader of the galaxy, having believed all the lies Sidious fed the citizens of the galaxy.

"Palpatine, Itappa, or Sidious, no matter what name he goes by, the man is still a Sith." Aila did not hide her bitterness. "He instigated that war and he corrupted my husband. Now I have to undo the damage to get my Obi-Wan back."

Kestin still did not agree with Aila's assessment of the Emperor. She had watched several of her upperclassmen at the Academy graduate, only to be killed months later in the Clone Wars. With the fighting stopped, all were better off and it was all due to his royal highness. Kestin wanted to voice this opinion, but she also understood that both her and Aila's opinions were colored by their experiences and it would be difficult to sway either of them. She had seen her friends die in a never-ending war while Aila was locked away by an overprotective husband. One praised the Emperor and the other condemned him, but Kestin knew it was best to turn to another subject then pursue this more deeply. Trying to bring a more neutral topic up for discussion, Kestin said, "You would know more about the Emperor's relationship with your husband than I do. However, milady, you really should get some more sleep before his Lordship returns home."

Aila shook her head, noting Kestin's change of subject. "No, I'm fine for now. Actually, I'm hungry. Would you like to have dinner with me?" Aila wondered where Kestin got her biased view of the Emperor and wanted to press her for more on it, but she could also sense it was a touchy subject between them. There did not seem to be anything malicious about Kestin's beliefs, it just seemed she did not get to see Sidious' actions from the same viewpoint.

Aila really liked Kestin; she was a friendly face when Aila needed her. However, Aila was dismayed by Kestin's assessment of the Emperor. She knew she had to be careful how she handled the topic of the Emperor with her handmaiden, so she wouldn't lose her friend. She resolved to make the conversation over dinner light and airy, but Aila also hoped that with time Kestin would lose her naivety and realize the Emperor's true nature.

* * *

"Where are the Jedi, Commander?" Avarik's smile curved with malicious intent as he casually walked through the dense underbrush of Murkhana's forested terrain and onto a clearing where several clones seemed to be holding a conference.

The clone troopers' necks swung around to gaze at the Empire's second in command. Immediately, the Commander of the troops stepped forward and spoke quietly so only Avarik could hear him. "Milord…" The clone bowed respectively, but there was an edge of fear in his voice and his body shuddered slightly in apprehension. "There are no Jedi here that I am aware of, they have all been killed."

"Liar!" Avarik growled. "You're hiding them, tell me where they are." Avarik kept his tone loud and sharp to make sure all heard them, including the three Force presences he could feel hiding within a large crowd of prisoners waiting to be shuttled off the planet. He could sense wariness and confusion coming from the Jedi and was pleased that his presence was intensifying these emotions. It angered him that he could not sense Skywalker in the group, but he hoped if he was patient his former apprentice would be drawn out of hiding as well.

Unaware of the danger she was in, Jedi Padawan Olee Starstone pushed her way through the crowd. Her deep blue eyes shone with relief at seeing another Jedi. Herself, Jedi Master Bol Chatak, and Jedi Master Roan Shryne, had been fleeing a sneak attack by their own clone troops, only surviving because one of the clones had gone against his orders. Tired and shaken by their ordeal, the Jedi had discarded their weapons and hid themselves in a group of prisoners to be transported off planet. They had received conflicting emergency communications from the Jedi Temple to first return to it and then to flee it and go into hiding. No one knew what they should do, but it was hoped that once they escaped the planet they could find answers.

Seeing Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in their midst was a great relief that not all was lost and that they would soon have answers to all of their questions. "Knight Kenobi, we are here." Starstone called out as she stood at the front of the mass of prisoners, her normally dark black curls, were matted and plastered to her face in a mixture of sweat, moisture, and grime from trudging through the planet's dense forest. She was disguised in a mercenary's cloak, but her muddy Jedi tunic could be scene underneath it.

Avarik smiled as a couple clone troops aimed their weapons at the Jedi Padawan, but the Sith raised his hand in a gesture of warning that they should halt their actions. The clones immediately complied and quickly started backpedaling from the Sith, fearful of what he might do to them. "Yes, young padawan, I could sense your presence as well as that of your two companions. Tell me, do you know where Skywalker is?"

Olee placed a hand over her heart in mourning at Kenobi's words. She had thought Master Skywalker was stationed on Coruscant. If he was not then that could only mean he had met the fate of the three Jedi that had been killed on Murkhana, unable to escape like herself, Master Chatak, and Master Shryne. Grief washed over her as she contemplated the worst fate for Master Skywalker and the rest of the Jedi Council. The prospect of losing such powerful Jedi was almost too much to comprehend and Olee could not find the words to answer Kenobi.

Stepping out of the crowd of prisoners towards Starstone, Jedi Masters Chatak and Shryne joined Padawan Starstone's side. They were glad to see that the clones backed away from Knight Kenobi and decided not to engage him. "Last we heard Master Skywalker was on Coruscant, you would have to contact the Temple for his whereabouts." Master Shryne, the human Jedi Master stated.

Kenobi's expression grew cold and sharp as he appraised the three Jedi. He knew they were lying to him, but he decided to play their game for a few more moments. "Perhaps you have not heard the news; the Temple was raided and all inside were killed. I can assure you I know that Skywalker was not there. I want to know where he is hiding."

Shryne, Chatak, and Starstone, all felt their hearts clench in grief for their fallen comrades and the loss of the Jedi Temple. There was a moment of silence before Chatak answered, "We are sorry Kenobi. We do not know where he is. I pray to the Force that your former padawan is not…."

"He is not dead!" Avarik shouted sharply. All three Jedi jumped back in surprise at Kenobi's anger, causing the hood of Chatak's cloak to fall from her face and reveal her Zabrak features, and her horns jutting out of her hairline. "And you all would do well to not address me by my former name. However, I may be lenient if you tell me where Skywalker is."

Suddenly on edge by Kenobi's tone and manner, all three Jedi took a reflexive state backward, and they all laid a hand at their hips where their lightsabers usually rested.

"What do you mean former name?" Starstone asked in confusion.

Avarik chuckled maliciously. "Don't tell me my former padawan has not told you yet. After all, you Jedi seem to delight in plotting against myself and my wife. I thought you would want to know everything about the two of us."

Shryne's muscles tensed as the Force screamed a warning at him. "Aila? What plot?"

Avarik's eyes gleamed in a sickly yellow color, his right hand reaching in his robes for his own lightsaber. "The plot where the Jedi tried to kill her." He growled as he pulled his saber from his belt and ignited its crimson blade.

Chatak, Shryne, and Starstone's eyes all widened in horror as they whispered, "You are a Sith."

Avarik nodded, "Darth Avarik, with the power to destroy all Jedi who stand against me." Punctuating his sentence with a great yell, Avarik sprinted towards the Jedi with unnatural speed, his saber held ready to strike. Behind the Jedi, prisoners and clones fled into the woods to avoid the Sith's strike. Weaponless, Shryne grabbed Starstone and Chatak and tried to pull them in the woods to hide so he could formulate a plan against their new enemy. However, Master Chatak, shrugged out of Shryne's grasp and immediately pulled out her own lightsaber and ignited its cerulean blade. While Shryne and Starstone had abandoned their weapons in an attempt to look like lowly prisoners, Chatak had simply concealed her weapon in the deep folds of her tunic.

Raising her weapon in defense, Chatak stood in front of Shryne and Starstone, to protect her fellow Jedi from the Sith's fury. Avarik's crimson blade clashed with such strength that Chatak's saber was almost wrenched from her grasp, but somehow she managed to hold it steady. Frantically calling on the Force to guide her, Chatak prepared herself to outwit the Jedi Knight turned Sith Lord.

* * *

After the unease of their discussion on Sidious, Aila and Kestin kept the topics neutral as they made and started eating dinner in Aila and Avarik's small dining room. They talked of happier times before the Clone Wars, their own childhoods, and their personal likes and dislikes. It was like sharing one's life with a good friend and both women seemed to take comfort in having someone friendly to talk to.

"I can remember when I was five and my father…" Kestin's reminiscing was interrupted by a strange crashing sound from the sitting room in Aila and Avarik's quarters.

"What was that?" Aila asked in confusion, rising from her chair as if she was about to investigate.

Kestin raised a hand to stop Aila as she too rose from her chair, straining her ears to listen for the strange sound. She did not hear the crash again, but she could tell that someone was rummaging around the room next door.

"Obi-Wan?" Aila started to move around the table to walk out to find her husband, but Kestin caught her arm and pulled her back.

Kestin's eyes glittered with a stern resolve as she whispered to Aila, "He hasn't been gone long enough, and besides I'm sure if it was him he would have gone straight for you. That is someone else."

Aila's eyes widened in concern and reflexively a hand settled protectively over her abdomen.

There was no way Kestin could get Aila out of the quarters without going through that sitting room, and with some unknown person lurking there that was not a solution. She would just have to secure her employer while she went ahead and performed her duties as handmaiden. "Go back to your bedroom and lock the door. I will handle this." Kestin whispered, giving Aila a slight push towards the bedroom door to encourage her to move quickly.

"But…." Aila began, concern for her friend's safety showing on her face.

Kestin shook her head, and placed a finger to her lips indicating Aila should remain silent and pushed her onward once more. "This is my duty, milady." Kestin's voice was barely audible as she ushered Aila into hiding. "Secure yourself, I will take care of this."

Half aware of what she was doing due to shock, Aila entered her bedroom and locked it per Kestin's instructions. She leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily as adrenaline coursed through her system. She jumped when she heard the sound of blaster fire through the door and the sound of Kestin's scream. For a moment she almost opened the door to run to her handmaiden's aid, but she realized that being unarmed she would be of little use considering the danger that was lurking outside. Aila moved away from the door and began to pace in front of it while she thought of something to do.

It became apparent that there were only two things Aila could do, particularly when the edge of the bedroom doorway started to glow red hot as someone on the other side was trying to break inside. Running towards the various shelves and cabinets in their bedroom, Aila rummaged for something to protect herself while she opened her Force bond and called out to the only man who could save her. She was not sure if she'd reach the Jedi or Sith version of her husband, but it did not matter to her, all she knew was she needed at least one of them to come home.


	26. Ch 25: A Kiss to Enrage

**Chapter 25: A Kiss to Enrage**

Up on a high shelf, Aila found Obi-Wan's old cerulean bladed lightsaber and began fumbling for the on switch as she cast a surreptitious glance at the weakening bedroom door. The door was still glowing red hot along the left hand side and top of it and now the intruder was working on the right side of the door.

"Obi-Wan!" She shouted over her Force bond to her husband, but she had yet to be acknowledged. She could feel intense anger and hatred directed at something her husband was facing, and Aila feared her message was being drowned out by her husband's rage. A shiver ran down her spine at the prospect that she would have to face the person coming through the door on her own.

Having never used a lightsaber before, and not having the Force abilities of her husband, Aila was not sure what good her weapon would do her, but she was determined to defend herself. Igniting the saber, Aila felt the weapon come to life in her hands. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she held the lightsaber in front of her, shining a bluish glow on the door where her attacker was about to enter.

* * *

For a moment, Darth Avarik and Jedi Master Bol Chatak simply glared at each other, sizing the other up as they blocked each others' lightsabers. Chatak knew she had to think quickly, for Kenobi had always been a great strategist in the Jedi Order and if she gave him enough time it would spell doom for her and her companions. Trying to buy herself some time, Chatak spoke to Avarik, hoping a line of questions would distract the Sith from finding an edge in this fight.

"Obi-Wan, I do not know where Skywalker is. What happened to you?"

Avarik growled in anger at Chatak's response. "You, and all of your Jedi companions have betrayed me." Avarik edged his saber down towards Chatak's hands in an attempt to disarm her, but Chatak caught the gesture and spun out of the attack. As Chatak came back around, her saber met Avarik's in a downward sweeping motion, before the battle was paused once more.

"We did not betray you. We have no knowledge of what is going on." Chatak answered back.

"Liar!" Avarik shouted. "All of the Jedi are working together, against me!" The Sith Lord took a step back to allow himself to swing his saber forward in a dangerous arc to Chatak's left side.

Frightened that her Master would be killed by the Sith's attack, Padawan Olee Starstone shouted, "No!" and lunged unarmed at the Sith Lord.

Olee's body would have been impaled on the crimson blade had Jedi Master Shryne not pulled her back by the waist, giving his own frantic cry of "No!" Unfortunately, Master Shryne was not able to prevent complete injury to Olee. The young woman had leaned forward to reach towards Master Chatak, and in doing, Avarik's crimson saber grazed her right cheek before Chatak could block the Sith's attack.

Wincing as she heard her padawan's agonized scream, Master Chatak cast a glance over her shoulder at Shryne. The Jedi Master was cradling Olee in his arms and was trying to persuade the young Jedi to take her hand away from her face so he could make sure she was all right. Trying to spur him onto action, Chatak shouted back to Shryne, "Get her out of here, the two of you cannot help me unarmed!"

"Ah, so once again Skywalker proves that he does not listen to me." Avarik sneered. "I have told him countless times that this weapon…" The Sith paused in his speech by ducking down and swiping low at Chatak's feet, causing the Jedi to leap to dodge the attack. Backpedaling as she landed, Chatak barely had time to block another of the Sith's attack as he feigned movement to the left side of her neck and instead spun on his heal and brought his blade dangerously close to the right side of her neck. "…is your life." Avarik punctuated his sentence, as Chatak struggled to keep the Sith's blade from her body. "Now tell me where Skywalker is hiding!" Avarik's yellow eyes seemed to glow with greater intensity as his fury intensified.

The two combatants separated, both pacing before the other as they assessed the situation. Master Chatak kept her movement confined to a smaller area as Shryne and Starstone still had not left the landing platform. She tried to send Shryne a silent nudge through the Force, but she was more concerned about keeping her focus on Lord Avarik. Hoping his anger would make him reckless, Chatak tried to bait the Sith and set a trap for him. "I already told you, he is not with us. However, even if I did know where he was, I would not tell you!"

Avarik's eyes flashed dangerously in response, and the fingertips of his left hand sparked with miniature bolts of Force lightning. Silently he vowed to make these three Jedi pay for their insolence as he charged at Chatak.

"Bol! Watch out!" Shryne shouted as Avarik moved forward at an astounding speed. Shryne was trying to persuade Padawan Starstone to follow him into the woods, but despite her injury, she was stubbornly refusing to leave her Master alone with the Sith. Now, the two of them were looking on in horror as the Jedi Master faced a Sith at full fury.

Master Chatak did not need Shryne's warning. She held her lightsaber in front of her, ready to defend herself. All the while, she was calling upon the Force to heighten her eyesight as she scanned Avarik's advance towards her, searching for his weak point. However, Avarik never allowed Chatak to find that point. Skidding to a halt just outside of the reach of Chatak's saber, the Sith surprised his opponent by raising his left hand towards the Jedi and slowly clenching the fingers of his left hand together. As Avarik's fingers closed and he used the Force to raise his opponent off the floor, he smiled maliciously as he heard her struggle for breath.

Invisible fingers cut off Chatak's air supply as they tightened around her neck. One handed, she tried to wrench the fingers from her as her other hand held her saber before her. "Tell me where Skywalker is." Avarik enunciated each word slowly to ensure Chatak, Shryne, and Starstone heard them.

"Let her go!" Padawan Starstone, fought against Shryne's hold on her as she tried to reach Master Chatak. "She does not know anything!"

"Oh, I don't think so." Avarik smirked knowingly. Using the Force to maintain his chokehold on Chatak, he moved close enough so his crimson blade could connect with Chatak's saber hilt, destroying the weapon and leaving all the Jedi defenseless against him. "Now, tell me where he is, and I might let your deaths be quick and relatively painless."

Gasping for breath, Chatak answered, "There is no death, there is the Force."

Reflexively Avarik tightened his Force grip on Chatak. "Don't make me destroy you, or I will be forced to turn on your padawan." Avarik's voice was deadly calm as he spoke.

Shryne's eyes grew wide as the Force gave him a vision of the future if Chatak continued to refuse to answer the Sith's question. He knew Chatak did not know the answer, but that did not seem good enough for Kenobi, or Darth Avarik as he now called himself. Although he was struggling to hold Olee back to prevent her death, Shryne felt a need to go into action himself. Without knowing what he was doing, Shryne asked a random question to distract the Sith. "Does Aila know what you are doing?"

"Aila..." Avarik began, but he faltered and took a step back as if he had been slapped. The yellow in his eyes immediately receded, showing his natural blue-green color. "Aila…." Avarik repeated his wife's name on a whisper, his eyes clouding over in fear rather than his previous rage. Without another word to his combatants, Avarik released his Force hold on Chatak, causing her to crumble to the floor in a gasping and sputtering heap. Then before any Jedi could question the Sith's actions, he turned on his heal and with inhuman speed sprinted back to his ship.

Finally breaking free from Shryne's gasp, Olee ran to Master Chatak, kneeling before her Master, "Are you ok?" She tried to help Chatak up into a sitting position.

"I am all right, how about you?" Master Chatak gently brought a fingertip up to trace the burn mark on Olee's face.

"She's fine." Shryne answered for Olee as he walked up to the two women and helped them both up into a standing position. He cast a furtive look in the direction of Avarik's escape and asked, "What was that about?"

Chatak's voice was grim when she answered, "Aila is in danger."

"How do you know?" Olee asked, confusion lining her brows.

"Because my padawan, Kenobi was so determined to find Master Skywalker that only danger to the one he loves would have stopped him."

* * *

Aila's hand shook slightly as the last of the bedroom door was cut and subsequently shoved forward into the room. The door falling and a lighter clunking noise of some tool being discarded was heard before a few blaster bolts were fired in Aila's direction. Two missed her completely, but the last one connected with the cerulean blade of Obi-Wan's lightsaber and wrenched it from her grasp. With nowhere else to go, Aila sprinted towards the fallen lightsaber. However, before she could reach it, she was grabbed from behind and held firm against a broad muscular chest.

"Let me go!" Aila shouted, trying to stomp on her captor's toes to get him to release her.

"Ah, what do we have here?" An unfamiliar masculine voice stated with amusement as he kept Aila pinned against him.

"I said, let me go!" Aila shouted again, continuing to wriggle in the stranger's grasp. "If my husband finds out….."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be far away from here before then. No one on board the ship is alerted to my presence." The stranger whirled Aila around so that she was facing him, his eyes flashing with lust at the sight of the woman's face.

"I've alerted my husband, he knows that you are here." Aila spat out at the unknown man. After being spun around to face the man, her hands were now pinned against his chest, and she was attempting to push against the broad expanse of muscle to break his hold. Unfortunately, the brute was far stronger than Aila, and easily kept her pinned against him.

The man had short cropped hair that spiked at his head. His eyes were a dull grey, but as they looked down on her they seemed to alight with some sort of hunger as his tongue unconsciously wet his thin lips. He had a bulky body, but being pushed against the thin material of his shirt, Aila could tell that there was no fat on him. His bulk was completely muscle. Aila's heart rate accelerated with fear as she realized he was larger than Obi-Wan, both in muscle mass and in height. The man simply overpowered her by his stature and strength.

"Your husband does not know where we are. I passed your comm. unit on the way in, and you were holding a lightsaber, not a comlink when I arrived." The strange man leaned closer to Aila, and she automatically leaned away from him, continuing her frantic calls over her Force bond to her husband who had yet to answer her.

"He knows you are here." Aila tried to keep her voice steady to show confidence in her response. "He's a Jedi."

The strange man laughed at Aila's comment. "A Jedi! Look Angel, I know that the Empire has outlawed all Jedi, and you would not be on this Star Destroyer and alive if your husband was a Jedi. They are being killed everywhere. You can tell me where you got that lightsaber later, but for now, my Angel, you are coming with me."

"I am not your Angel!" Aila shouted, attempting to knee her captor so she could break his hold. However, the man seemed to predict what she was going to do and had scooped her up into his arms before she could succeed in her attack.

"Let me go!" Aila tried to flail in the man's arms to get loose.

"A feisty Angel!" The man exclaimed. "I like them like that. However, you might as well quit fighting me; I am bigger and stronger than you."

Aila did quit her struggles, but not because the stranger had told her to. She was stopped by a familiar cultured accent speaking over her Force bond. "Aila, what is wrong?" Avarik asked, worry evident in his voice.

Aila was relieved to hear her husband's voice. She noted that the anger she had felt from him earlier was gone, but she suspected it would come back when she told him what was going on. "A strange man has broken into our rooms. I heard Kestin scream when she went to engage him, I don't know where she is, and he is holding me right now."

"Do you know who it is?" Avarik asked, as he leapt into his starfighter and frantically started the engines.

"No, I have never seen him before. I…"

Aila was interrupted when the stranger's face inched closer to her ear. "That is much better. I am sure with time you will learn to like me, my Angel. Usually I might sell you to one of the slave traders on Tatooine or Nar Shaddaa, but I think for a prize like you, I will keep you for myself." The stranger then promptly licked the shell of Aila's ear with his slimy tongue, causing the woman to jerk away from him in disgust.

"Aila?" Avarik's voice in Aila's head urged her to finish her sentence.

"He claims to be a slave trader." Aila answered back distractedly as she tried to push away from her captor once more who was commenting on the fact that she tasted good.

Avarik's eyes flashed yellow. "What in the blazes in a slave trader doing on my ship!" Avarik commented to himself before speaking to Aila, "Aila, I am on my way right now. Be careful with what you do, I don't want you getting hurt. Try to call for help, or keep him distracted so he stays on the ship until I arrive. However, if you have to leave, do not fight him, I will follow after you. Do you understand?"

Aila could not answer, because she was too busy struggling against the stranger who had now captured her lips with his and was plundering her mouth.

"Aila?" Avarik prompted as he pushed his starfighter up into Murkhana's sky.

Aila slapped her captor across the cheek, leaving a large red handprint on the man's skin, but the smuggler promptly pinned her hand behind her back an answered, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you, my Angel." The slave trader's hand gently caressed Aila's face, sending another shiver of disgust to run through her.

"Aila?" Avarik prompted more forcibly as he could fell his wife's disgust over their Force bond.

"Obi-Wan, you better get home quickly, I need you."

"What did he do?" Any blue-green color in Avarik's eyes changed to malicious yellow as he pressed a few buttons to urge his starfighter to move faster.

Aila's answer was brief, as she could feel her husband's anger and knew he would not need much more to turn him to his Sith mode. She did not like that she was a cause for turning him to a Sith, but there was little else she could do against the brutish slave trader.

Avarik pounded on the controls of his starfighter at Aila's three word response. "He kissed me." That slave trader had been in trouble before, but now Avarik would make sure he would die a most painful death. Only one man was allowed to kiss, his goddess, and that smuggler was going to learn that lesson the hard way.


	27. Ch 26: Delaying the Smugglers Flight

**Chapter 26: Delaying the Smugglers Flight**

Although enraged by the slave trader's audacity to attempt to kidnap Aila, Avarik was also fearful of what would happen to his beloved wife. He was fully aware that he would probably not make it home in time to stop the slave trader from leaving. Even traveling through hyperspace, it would take time to reach his star destroyer. He needed to buy himself some more time. Although he hated delaying his jump into hyperspace, he sent an urgent hail to his star destroyer before he left Murkhana's orbit.

"Mi… Milord?" The voice of an unknown officer answered Avarik's call.

"There is an intruder on my ship, they have kidnapped my wife!" Avarik did not hide the deadly fury in his voice as he spoke to the officer.

On Avarik's Star Destroyer, the unknown officer and a few of the other lower ranking ones that had duty in the comm. station during the evening cycle paled at the Sith's words. "Mi… milord. There was a band of merchants that landed earlier, needing repairs to their ship.

"Who cleared them?" Avarik barked in response.

"I… I… do… do not k…know m…m…milord." The officer stuttered in fear. "We w…will send the wh…whole sh…sh…ship on high alert to f…find them, mi…milord."

"No!" Avarik shouted over his comm. system. "If they are confronted they might strike against my wife. Leave them to me. I just want them to be kept onboard the ship. Seal off all of the openings until I arrive. I am returning now. Also, run a scan of the ship. When I pull out of hyperspace, I want to know where they are."

"It… it w…will be done mi…mi…milord." The officer continued to stutter and tremble in fear, terrified that once the Sith Lord returned to his ship it would not only be the merchants that would feel his wrath.

"Good." Avarik abruptly cut the transmission to his star destroyer and immediately engaged the hyperdrive of his starfighter, causing the stars to blur as his ship jumped into hyperspace. Knuckles clenched tightly against his controls, Avarik closed his malevolent yellow eyes and called out over his Force bond to his wife. "Hang on Aila, I will be home soon."

* * *

"Let go!" Aila shouted as she jerked in the slave trader's arms once more. Despite her husband's suggestion that she not fight the slave trader, Aila could not resist the urge to break free from the vile man's clutches.

Seemingly agreeing to her demand, the slave trader did place her on her feet. However, the feral gleam in his eye revealed his true intentions. There was still a bright red mark across his cheek where Aila had slapped him. "You, my Angel, will learn to obey me. You might even enjoy it as much as I will enjoy indulging in you." Pressing his point home, the slave trader pressed his lips against her. He nipped at her bottom lip and forced his tongue through Aila's lips to taste the sweetness of her mouth.

Disgusted, Aila bit down on her captor's tongue, causing him to jerk away from her as he cursed in pain. Using her captor's pain as a distraction, Aila pulled her arms sharply from his grasp, sidestepped away from him, and sprinted out of the charred gaping hole that had once been her bedroom door.

Aila's goal was to flee her quarters and find one of Obi-Wan's officers to provide her with shelter until her husband arrived. However, with her focus solely on escape, Aila failed to see the fallen form of her handmaiden lying on the floor, and she stumbled to the floor as she tripped over her friend's stunned body.

Aila tried to push herself up to continue her escape, but by that time, the slave trader had caught up to her and had hauled her up to face him. One of his large hands pinned her hands behind her back so she was pinned, defenseless against him. A snarl escaped the man's lips as his eyes sadistically glowered down at his captive. "You will have to learn some respect, my Angel. Once we leave this place I will see to it that you pretty little mouth is taught a lesson in submission." The man paused for a moment, his cold eyes assessing what he should do next. "I should stun you, like your friend down there." He tilted his head towards Kestin's prone body before continuing his speech. While he continued to speak, the smuggler's free hand fumbled with something at his belt. "However, then you would not awaken in time for the lessons I need to teach you."

Aila's eyes widened in fear as she felt her captor bring his free hand around her and heard an audible click as binders were wrapped tightly around her wrists. With her hands subdued, the slave trader then removed his shirt and promptly ripped a piece from it. "My husband will make sure you…" Aila's declaration was muffled into an inaudible string of angry mumbles as the slave trader grabbed Aila's chin and shoved a piece of his torn shirt into her mouth. Gagging any sound from escaping her lips. To ensure his gag stayed in place, he then bound the other part of his shirt around her head, pulling it through her teeth before securing a tight knot at the back of her head. Smiling at his handiwork and Aila's startled expression, the slave trader grabbed he shoulders firmly in his hand and leaned into her so he could whisper, "If your husband was here he would have come to your aid already, but now my Angel, you belong to me."

Aila's muffled scream was barely heard as the slave trader hauled her over his right shoulder. She tried to kick at him, but he kept her feet held firmly against his chest, so all she managed to do was wriggle against him. Chuckling lightly at Aila's struggles, the slave trader knelt down and effortlessly hauled Kestin up and over his other broad shoulder. "I am sure my crew will find use for your friend. After all I have no intentions of sharing you, my Angel."

Aila watched helplessly as Kestin's body hung limply over the man's shoulder. Bound and slung over the slave trader's other shoulder, there was little Aila could do while he carried her out of her and Obi-Wan's living quarters, but that did not stop her from fighting. Although muffled through her gag, Aila tried to scream out as the slave trader marched down the hallway in hopes she might alert a member of Obi-Wan's crew. However, as they moved farther and farther away from her living quarters and no one came to help, Aila realized that her only hope was the arrival of her husband.

* * *

"Boss!" One of the smugglers now dressed in the discarded armor of the clones they had disposed of called out to their leader. "What have you brought us now? Those do not look like the spare parts you found earlier."

The leader smiled as he entered the landing bay that housed his ship and crew. This was his forth trip back to his ship. On the first three he had returned with various spare engine parts, communications devices, and a cache of weapons. It was not until this final trip that he had found Aila and Kestin. He had not been tempted to enter the quarters of the star destroyer's crew, not wanting to alert anyone to his true intentions. However, Aila's quarters had been housed in a long hall of conference rooms and he had only thought to raid them for anything of value. He had been surprised to find living space when he cut through the locked door, and even more surprised by the women who greeted them, but now that they were both subdued in his arms, all was well.

His smile broadened as he felt the weight bearing down on his shoulders and he addressed his crew. "No, the parts and weapons are for us to sell and should bring us a nice profit, but these pretties are our prize for our troubles." The lead slave trader shifted Kestin's and Aila's bodies on his shoulders, drawing his crew's attention to the two women.

One of the slave trader's crew members removed the helmet of his clone armor and walked around his boss to get a better look at the two women in his arms. "They are beauties, boss. I am guessing you are taking the conscious one for your own."

There was a twinkle in the leader's eye as he answered, "Of cou…" However, the leader's response was halting by the heavy sound of a blast doors, sealing off all the exits to the landing bay. "What the…?"

Another member of the smuggling crew spoke up in answer to their leader's question. "All the exits have been sealed. Someone must be alerted to our presence."

"No matter, we will blast our ways out if we have to. In the mean time, one of you get the ship ready while the other three find a computer terminal and see if you cannot get these doors opened without force. At the first sign of trouble, blast through the hull and get us out of here. I will make sure that our precious cargo is stowed away."

"Right boss!" The four other members of the crew shouted as one sprinted p the ships' ramp ahead of him and the other three pulled out a small data hacking device from their belts and ran to a nearby data port. For his part, the leader was moving towards the top of his ship's ramp, looking for an empty storage hold to stow Kestin, while he took Aila to her new home in his bedroom.


	28. Ch 27: Lessons of an Angel and a Sith

**Chapter 27: Lessons of an Angel and a Sith**

As he pulled out of hyperspace, Avarik stared down at his wrists. An angry looking red ring had appeared courtesy of his Force bond with Aila. Apparently, he captors had bound Aila's wrists b too tight, causing bruises to form. Avarik added this injury to the list of reasons for killing the slave trader and his crew. His rage bubbled more with each crime against his wife, but he was relieved that his plan had worked so far, the smugglers had not yet escaped the ship. According to his star destroyer crew they were attempting to break the codes that sealed all of the exits. They did say that the slave traders were getting close to completing their task, but that did not matter anymore since Avarik had his star destroyer in his sight.

"This is Lord Avarik. I am transmitting my clearance code now. Once received, open landing bay four." The Sith called to the bridge of his star destroyer.

"Transmission received, mi…milord. But, the smugglers have your wife in landing bay th…three." The officer Avarik had spoken to earlier continued to stutter.

"I know that!" Avarik shouted at having his decision questioned. "However, if you open landing bay three then the smugglers will have a chance to escape with my wife. So open landing bay four, close it behind me, and do not question my orders."

"Ye…ye…yes mi…mi…milord. It w…will be d…done." The officer's stuttering became worse as Avarik's tone became more enraged.

Once landing bay four was opened, Avarik pushed his starfighter into the landing bay at full speed, fear gripping him as Aila relayed what was happening in the adjacent landing bay. Solely focused on saving her, Avarik was mindless of the consequence of attempting a landing at full speed. However, with his Force abilities, it did not matter. Once his starfighter breached the interior of the landing bay, Avarik popped his hatch and leapt from his ship, sprinting toward a nearby exit. However, his astromech droid and his starfighter erupted into a fireball as they collided with a few clone gunships and ARC-170 starfighters.

Once outside in the hall, Avarik paid no attention to the clones rushing to clean up the mess he had left in landing bay four. The comings and goings of his own crew was insignificant when Aila's life was in danger. All that mattered was that he reach his wife in time and free her from her foolish captors. Knowing he was drawing closer to the men who had attempted to take his wife, the yellow glow in Avarik's eyes intensified with each step he took towards his destination.

* * *

"I think we are going to have to blast the doors if this does not work." One of the smugglers stated as they stared at their datapads, waiting for them to run through their latest calculation cycle.

"Yes, but I am surprised no one has come down here yet. I wonder what they are waiting for?"

In response to the other smugglers questions, their datapads beeped their completion, and all the blast doors opened. "Let's get out of here." One of the smugglers shouted before moving towards their freighter's ramp. However, before the man could reach his destination, a bright crimson blur sailed through the air and collided into the man's back. The eyes of the other two smugglers widened in horror as they noticed that their companion was dead, stabbed through the heart with a lightsaber.

"What have you done with my wife?" Avarik's growl drew the attention of the other two smugglers as he extended his hand out to his fallen lightsaber and used the Force to unsheathe it from the dead body on the floor.

"Your wife?" The two smugglers asked in confusion.

In response, Avarik smirked malevolently and threw his crimson blade toward the other two smugglers. One ducked out of harms way, but the other met the same fate as his fallen comrade. "Tell me where she is." Avarik enunciated each word to ensure he was understood. He was pleased that the other smuggler visibly trembled.

"She…she's on the ship with m…my boss." The smuggler answered.

Again Avarik smiled, though his eyes continued to glow a sickly yellow. "Good. You have been most helpful." The Sith started to sprint towards the lone smuggler, who screamed and tried to run to the safety of his ship. While running, Avarik called upon the Force once more to draw his saber back to him. The smuggler's screams grew louder as he heard the hum of Avarik's pulsating blade drawing nearer. However, his scream was drowned abruptly as the Sith's blade charred a gaping wound from the base of his spine up to his neck.

Having heard his compatriots scream, the crew member that had been readying the ship for departure grabbed a blaster and ran to the top of the ship's ramp. Upon seeing Lord Avarik he promptly fired at the man, but his eyes widened in terror as every shot was effortlessly deflected by the man's blood-red blade. It was with morbid fascination that the man watched Avarik's blade swing in a high arc as another blaster bolt was deflected. However, the man saw nothing else, for with the violent hum and sizzle of the Sith Lord's deadly weapon, the smuggler's world faded to black.

As the last crew member fell to Avarik's blade, the Sith closed his eyes and called out over his Force bond to Aila. Once he could locate her, he could destroy her final captor and avenge their foolish kidnapping attempt. Four souls had encountered the consequences of attacking Aila, and only one more would require the fatal lesson.

* * *

With Kestin's unconscious body stored in one of his ship's holds and his crew handling the arrangements of getting their freighter out of the landing bay, the lead smuggler was free to spend some time with his new slave. "And now my Angel, you and I can begin your lessons." He gently placed Aila on his bed and crawled up to join her.

Aila tried to squirm off the bed, but the brute forced her down with the weight of his body. Reaching behind her back, he unclasped the bindings that held her wrists together and then raised them above her head before binding them once more. He then produced a silken scarf from among the bed sheets and tied her binders to a hook he had installed in the wall. That hook had been present since he had to break in his last save, a young twi'lek who had sold for a nice profit to the Hutts.

"If you behave, I may consider removing the binders and only using the scarf." The slave trader practically purred as he looked down at his helpless captive.

In response, Aila began to flail and try to kick the slave trader, but the brutish man merely pinned her down with the weight of his body. "Or we can continue to do this the hard way." The man whispered in her ear before suckling the lobe into his mouth. The feel of the vile man's slimy tongue caused Aila to incoherently cry out in disgust against her gag.

The slave trader smiled down at Aila as he watched her body tremble. "One day you will tremble in pleasure for me and that is what I will begin to teach you today. I have wanted to taste from your lips since I placed that gag in your mouth. Now I can fulfill one of my many desires."

The smuggler ignored Aila's cries of protest or the shaking of her head; his focus was on removing the knot that tied the gag to her head and blocked him from her tempting lips. Unfortunately for him, when he removed her gag, Aila's screams grew louder and drowned out the sizzling hum of his imminent death.

* * *

Avarik moved quickly, Force shoving the decapitated body of the lead smuggler to the floor so it could join his severed head. He was careful to make sure that neither body nor head fell on top of Aila. At the sight of his wife, bound helplessly to the bed, the angry yellow in Avarik's eyes receded to a worry filled blue-green color. "Aila, are you all right?" Avarik spoke, as he very carefully moved his hand over her bindings, using the Force to release them.

"Obi-Wan!" Aila exclaimed in relief at the sight of her husband. She pushed herself up from the bed and rushed into his waiting embrace. She trembled slightly from the fear at what the slave trader had nearly accomplished. Although she felt safe in her husband's arms, the adrenaline coursing through her body kept her on edge and on alert for another attack. The nagging fear that the hulking slave trader could injure her husband and start his terror again caused her to meekly ask, "Is he…?" Aila started to turn towards her captor's fallen form, but the gentle caress of her husband's calloused fingertips urged her to keep her gaze on him.

"Do not look, my goddess. It will only upset you." Avarik spoke softly, tightening his hold on Aila in a reassuring hug. "Are you sure you are all right? How is the baby?" Reflexively sliding his hand over Aila's abdomen, Avarik was relieved to feel the familiar ripple in the Force of his growing child.

Although she was still trembling, Aila could not stop the small smile that formed at her husband's concern. "We are both fine. I am just glad you got here in time. A few more moments..." Aila winced as her mind pictured what could have happened. "…and I do not know what would have happened."

"Shh." Avarik hushed his wife, shifting her in his arms so she could carry her to safety. "That is not important now. You are safe, now. The slave traders are gone and they cannot hurt you again."

Aila was silent for a moment as she let Avarik carry her out of the slave trader's bedroom and out to the main area of the freighter. A part of her was relieved the slave traders had been given the ultimate punishment for what they actually and nearly did to her. However, another part of her felt guilty that once again her husband had felt compelled to kill for her safety. Although personally she thought her husband's actions were justified, she could not help but worry how far this event would set her husband back from shrugging away the seductive dark cloak of the Sith.

Sensing her unease, Avarik sent a wave of calm and love over his Force bond to Aila, hoping that both would wipe away the troubled look on her face. Silently he cursed the men who ha caused this situation and her subsequent distress. If he could he would almost want to kill them again as punishment for their actions.

With her husband's own unease and irritation leaking over their Force bond, Aila was shaken from her musings and started to take in her surroundings. In a flash, she realized where she was and in response, jerked in Avarik's arms. "Kestin's in here! She's locked in the ship's hold. We have to get her out, she tried to save me. I think he put her down there." Aila pointed to a spot on the floor, and Avarik raised a hand and called on the Force to remove the secret floor panel.

Among the weapons and other stolen engine parts, Kestin's body shivered in shock. The woman had shaken off the effects of being stunned, but waking up in a confined area had frightened her into a near catatonic state.

"Kestin, are you all right?"

A wide-eyed fearful look came across Kestin's face and her breath came out in quick pants as she replied, "Mi…Milady?" Kestin had to force the words out, finding it difficult to for words in her current condition.

Avarik raised a hand to signal the handmaiden to stop and rest. "Stay their Kestin, we will have medical come and look at you. You have served my wife and me well. I am very pleased."

Aila smiled fondly at her husband's kind words, gently tangling her fingers in his hair as she started to move her lips to his. Despite their previous argument, Aila longed to feel the kiss of the man he loved to remind her how a kiss should feel after her ordeal with the slave trader. However, before Aila's lips could capture his own, Avarik turned away from Aila, his eyes focused on a team of clone troopers entering the freighter. Ignoring Aila's near kiss, Avarik spoke to the clones. "This area needs to be cleaned. However, please escort Miss Vanís up to medical first, she had been stunned and needs care. I will be bringing my wife up, myself."

Aila found it odd that Avarik did not kiss her after his orders had been given. She was not sure if he was simply trying to maintain appearances with his staff, or if there was something else going on in his mind. It had not been that long since he had been intent on stealing a kiss for himself and Aila did not understand what was stopping him from taking her freely given one. It was inevitable that Aila and Avarik would be having a conversation about recent events, and in her mind, Aila added Avarik's strange behavior as a topic for discussion.


	29. Ch 28: Minor Victories for the Soul

**Chapter 28: Minor Victories for the Soul**

While Aila and Kestin were being examined and treated by the healers after their ordeal with the smugglers, Avarik shouted various orders at his crew. Not only did he order the removal of the smugglers' lifeless bodies from his ship, but he also ordered a small contingent of clones to repair the doorways to his quarters. By the time Aila was cleared from medical there was little evidence of the previous struggle that had taken place in her and Avarik's quarters.

Although Kestin was coming out of her state of shock, the healers kept her in the ship's medical ward overnight to continue her recovery. Aila had felt bad for her friend's state since Kestin had been injured trying to save her. After being cleared by the healers and assured her unborn child was all right, Aila had tried to personally thank the woman who had made all that possible. Aila did manage to get a short show of gratitude out, but this was pre-empted by Avarik's own show of gratitude before scooping Aila up into his arms and taking her back to their quarters. When Aila tried to protest leaving Kestin's side, Avarik gently stated, "Kestin needs her rest, and you should be taking care of yourself, my goddess."

"I'm fine, and the baby is fine. We are safe." Aila continued to protest, though she did shiver slightly as she recalled what had almost happened.

"I intend to keep it that way, my goddess." Avarik answered back. For a moment it seemed like he would lean forward and capture Aila's lips in a tender kiss, but like he had done on the smugglers' freighter, he hesitated and pulled himself away from her.

"What's wrong?" Aila asked as worry lined her brow at the guilt she was feeling emanating from her husband and the strained expression on his face.

Avarik seemed resolute not to reveal his troubles as he forced a smile before answering her. "Nothing, my goddess. As long as you are with me, I am fine."

Aila did not believe Avarik's comment. He had now avoided kissing her twice and that was not like his usual self. She wanted to question him about it, but since he had started to carry her back to their quarters she decided to wait until they had some privacy rather than speak in front of the star destroyer crew.

* * *

"Now, will you tell me what is bothering you?" Aila asked once Avarik had set her down in the middle of their bed.

"Why do you keep asking that?" Avarik sat at the edge of the bet, but avoided Aila's gaze. He trailed his eyes across the room, searching for any sign of his wife's previous struggle that his crew had failed to clean up. The only thing that appeared out of place was the cylindrical hilt of his old lightsaber that lay forgotten on the floor rather than the high shelf it usually rested upon. Avarik called the fallen Jedi lightsaber to his hand seeming to examine it as he moved it from hand to hand.

Aila rolled her eyes at her husband's stubbornness. "Because I have been married to you long enough to know when you are hiding things from me." To press her husband for an answer, Aila inched closer to his side.

Avarik ignored Aila's comment as he continued to turn his old saber in his hands. "You used this?" Avarik glanced over his shoulder at Aila as he held the saber out to her."

Aila shrugged her shoulders, "It did not do me a lot of good, but it was the only thing I could find to defend myself with since you were away. It was ripped out of my hands just before I contacted you. Perhaps you should show me how to use it properly?"

"A Lady of the Sith should have no need to use a Jedi weapon. I will make sure you have no need for it again." Avarik answered automatically as he used the Force to guide the lightsaber to its usual resting place.

"What about a Jedi's lady? You know I will never align myself with the Sith?" Aila answered back, refusing to have Avarik title her with his Sith persona.

Avarik sighed as he cast another glance over his shoulder at Aila before turning to stare at the floor. "Why must you always fight me on this? You watched the Jedi turn against us over the years, Sidious never did."

Aila gave a derisive snort of laughter as she wrapped her arms around her husband from behind. "Sidious played us both for fools. He used our problems with the Jedi Order against us and he continues to do that now. I will admit that the Jedi Council did some things to us… to you… that they shouldn't have. However, joining the dark side is not an answer to that. I only hope that one day you will see that."

Avarik shook his head. "I do not understand why you cannot see that I had to choose a side, the Jedi or the Sith. Really my choice was the Jedi or you, and my choice was easy. The Sith let me be with you."

"Only temporarily for when it suited him. I am sure Sidious had a hand in this smuggler attack just as he did the bounty hunter incident on Coruscant." Aila coaxed her husband into looking beyond his own beliefs and rationalizations.

Avarik's shoulders tensed at Aila's words and there was no hiding his irritation as he responded to her. "I told you that the evidence proved that Anakin was behind that assassination attempt. You have to forget what you know about the Jedi. I might have been one once, but now that they have shown their true loyalty, I cannot follow them anymore. I am tired of fighting this with you!"

Sensing irritation, helplessness, and sadness emanating from her husband over their Force bond, Aila decided that for now this argument would need to be put aside. She would never give up on convincing her husband of the Sith's true intentions, but after her many conversations with Qui-Gon she also knew she would sometimes have to concede a temporary reprieve. At least she had got her husband to think about why he joined the Sith. Hopefully at a later date she could help pull away some of the darkness that ensnared him.

However, although Aila was deciding to relinquish this one argument for now, there was still more she wished to discuss with her husband and his accusations towards her helped provide an opening. Leaning close into her husband's ear Aila whispered, "Is that why you will not kiss me?"

Once again Avarik's shoulders tensed at Aila's words, but instead of anger a wave of guilt washed over his Force bond to Aila. "No, it is just, I did not…"

With a light smile, Aila filled in the blanks to her husband's incomplete sentence. "Does this have to do with our argument before you left for Murkhana?"

Avarik did not speak, but simply nodded in response.

"I was only angry with you because you forced a kiss I was not willing to give. I know you do not agree with me, but my feelings concerning your missions against the Jedi are very different from yours. That does not mean I do not love you, but I also cannot condone your actions with my usual affection."

"I am sorry." Avarik whispered. "I should never have forced you. I know better. I never wanted to hurt you, my goddess."

"I know." Aila murmured, placing a light kiss on her husband's cheek. "And because I love you, I will forgive you." Avarik's heart soared at Aila's words, and he slowly turned his head towards hers as Aila continued to speak. "I only ask that you do not betray my love, and let me make my own decisions for when I show it."

There may have been more to Aila's little speech, but it was forgotten once Avarik captured her lips with his. His previous kiss had been demanding and greedy, but now his lips tenderly teased Aila's open. The pressure of her husband's lips was welcome after the brutality of the smuggler's.

Turning in Aila's embrace, Avarik scooped her back up and returned her to the center of their bed where he joined her side. Momentarily pulling his lips from hers and running his left hand down her cheek, Avarik voiced the concern that had haunted him since she had contacted him on Murkhana. "I was afraid I would lose you."

"I am always afraid I will lose you." Aila replied back before kissing him once more, keeping to herself that her biggest fear was losing him to the dark side.

"I rushed home when I found out you were in trouble. I did not even finish my mission."

As Avarik leaned in for yet another kiss, his fingers entwining in Aila's hair, Aila pushed her hands up into her husband's broad shoulders, stalling him momentarily. "You did not finish your mission?"

Avarik shook his head. "No, the Jedi got away, but you are far more important."

Aila's heart fluttered in her chest and a wave of excitement washed over her as she lunged herself into her husband's embrace. Perhaps Avarik's reasons for letting the Jedi go were a bit selfish, but she could not help but think that his love for her had won out against the dark wishes of his Sith Master. In a convoluted way, she felt the trauma of the smuggler incident was worth it if it played a role in saving innocent Jedi and Obi-Wan's soul.


	30. Ch 29: A Moment With ObiWan

**A/N:** Just a note on where this is going since it is long like its predecessor. I will be writing Coruscant chapters next, so Sidious will be tearing their world apart some more soon.

* * *

**Chapter 29: A Moment With Obi-Wan**

"You must be tired after all you have been through, my goddess." Avarik smiled down at Aila as he tenderly stroked her cheek with the fingertips of his good hand. "The ship is still in its evening cycle and the crew has their orders so I will join you. Actually, I intend to spend tomorrow with you as well before we head to Coruscant."

Aila flinched at the mention of the Emperor's upcoming birthday celebration. "Do we really have to go to that? Can we just send him a gift without going?" Aila did not want to give Sidious anything, but if it meant keeping herself and her husband far away from the Sith, then she would do it.

"You know we have to be there." Avarik's tone made it clear there was no arguing against this. "I told you that when I submitted the confirmation or our attendance. As second in command of the Empire I have to be there, my goddess."

Aila's eyes narrowed shrewdly as her mind worked through what her husband had said, "Well…"

Certain he knew what his wife was about to say, Avarik stopped her mid-sentence by adding, "And as my wife, it is your responsibility to attend the party with me." Avarik paused for a moment before pulling Aila into his arms and drawing her near as he rolled on his back and settled against the pillows. "No more arguing, lets just get some rest. The party will only last a few hours. And I promise we will leave Coruscant and return to the ship immediately if it makes you feel better."

Aila merely sighed in response. Not being on a star destroyer at all would make Aila feel better, but given her husband's current circumstances that was not going to happen. However, as she had commented before, being on a star destroyer away from Coruscant also meant that both she and her husband were away from Sidious. So she would put up living on the military vessel as long as it kept her husband away from his Sith Master's influence.

Avarik leaned forward and placed a light kiss to Aila's forehead. "Just get some rest, my goddess."

"I'm not tired." Aila responded, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Normally at this time of night she would be sleeping, but after taking a long nap just before the smuggler attack she felt wide awake.

"Yes, you are." Avarik answered back. "You have been through a lot."

Aila laughed at her husband. "No, I'm not, and to stop this argument, you will remember that you advised me to take a nap after you left for Murkhana. Well, despite the fact that I was furious with you, I did end up taking a nap and did not wake up until a little before the smuggler attack. I might be traumatized, but I am not tired. I'd rather spend some time alone with you, unless you are tired and then you can rest and I will go watch a holo or something." Aila started to move away from Avarik so she could scoot off the side of the bed.

Avarik was exhausted. The last time he had slept was just before he took Aila to choose her new handmaiden. He was thankful that he had made her do that before he had left for Murkhana given what had happened. It was true that Kestin had been incapacitated, but her actions had delayed the smugglers long enough to allow Aila to contact him for help. Things could have been a lot worse if Kestin had not been there. The handmaiden had certainly proven her loyalty to him and Aila and her worth in a time of crisis.

Avarik had already put orders in place to up Aila's security after the smuggler attack, but he knew he was going to have to do more. However, given his state of exhaustion he had been content just to catch up on some much needed sleep with Aila by his side where he knew she would be safe. After flying back and forth to Murkhana, fighting a group of Jedi, and then rushing home to rescue Aila, Avarik could feel his energy was depleted. It was nice that Aila was willing to let him rest, but he did not want her to leave his side. Reaching over to gently grab Aila's right wrist, Avarik paused her escape from the bed and said, "I'll go with you."

"Are you sure, you look tired?" Aila asked, also taking note of the exhaustion she could sense from Avarik over their Force bond.

"I'm fine." Avarik put on a wide smile and followed her up out of the bed and guided her to the large sofa in their sitting room. Despite the fact that he was fighting to stay awake, he would not deny himself this time with Aila. With missions and his own work on the ship they really had very little time to be together and he wanted to make the most of it. He figured he could always sleep later.

Sitting down on the sofa, Obi-Wan situated himself into the corner before pulling Aila down beside him. With a smile of contentment Aila leaned over and snuggled against her husband's shoulder while he passed her the holoscreen's remote. "You choose what you want to watch." Avarik murmured in her ear before leaning backwards against the sofa and pulling Aila down with him. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair as he watched her flip through the various channels.

"Do you have any preference?" Aila asked, while she purposefully skipped over the news networks rather quickly since they were playing some speech Sidious was giving. Silently she prayed Avarik would not ask to see that.

"No, you choose something."

"Are you sure?"

Avarik smiled at Aila's comment and continued to brush her hair with his fingers. "Yes, my goddess. It does not matter to me what we watch, as long as you are with me."

With the noncommittal answer from her husband, Aila flipped to the movie channels and looked for something she had never seen before. All the films were new to her, having only lived with Obi-Wan for over six years, there were very few movies she had seen. In the end she picked a silly romantic movie about two people meeting briefly on Coruscant and then their struggle to find one another again in the mass of people. The movies on the other channels had content about the Jedi Order and the old Republic, but Sidious had ordered that the majority of the material be censored. Large chunks of those movies were edited or cut out and Aila was not going to have this nice moment with her husband be ruined because of their differing opinions on those edits.

However, half an hour into the movie she did choose, Aila was bored. There were much better films out there and she was not in the mood for something that silly. Looking to see if her husband agreed, Aila turned and tilted her head only to realize that he was fast asleep. She was surprised she had not noticed his deep even breathing beforehand, but she was careful to remain silent so she would not disturb him now. She even turned off the holoscreen so that the noise from it would not wake him.

Aila could not help the smile that formed across her lips at her husband's peaceful expression. "My sleepy, Jedi Knight." Aila whispered softly, drawing her husband's good hand, which he had tangled in her hair, around her and placing it over her heart. Aila loved to watch her husband sleep, because in sleep he was always Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. There was no darkness or worry clouding his features and the Darth Avarik persona was put away for a while.

It was nice to be near him during moments like this because it brought back memories of happier times and what they ultimately could have again if he would leave the dark side behind. These brief moments of being with the man she married always helped to strengthen her resolve in facing the man he had become. However, at the same time it was painful to know that these moments would not last with her husband's current allegiance to the dark side, and Aila always struggled to make sure any hurt she felt did not leak over to Obi-Wan and disturb him while he slept. Even now she was blinking away tears that were a combination of happiness and sorrow. Trying to stay focused on the good things, Aila raised Obi-Wan's hand she had pressed to her heart, ran the finger of one of her own hands over it, and placed a tender kiss in the open palm.

"I love you too, my goddess." Aila could hear the sleepy rumble of her husband's voice behind her.

"I'm sorry.' Aila dropped Avarik's hand in surprise. "I did not mean to wake you up."

"With you in my arms, I can think of no better way to be woken up." Avarik said as he yawned and stretched his arms out. Behind her, Aila could feel the ripple of muscles as her husband moved about.

"You should go to bed if you are tired. I'll stay out here a bit longer so I do not disturb you."

"Hmmm…" A deep contented rumble sounded in Avarik's chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around Aila, drawing her close so he could whisper in her ear. "What makes you think I would want to be alone?"

Aila's eyes fluttered as Avarik began trailing light kisses down the sensitive skin of her neck. "I thought you were tired."

Avarik paused his trail of kisses for a moment to answer. "I'm not now." It was a lie. Avarik could have fallen back to sleep if he wanted to, but he was determined to push his body to the limit if it meant spending time with Aila. However, he had thought up an idea to help keep himself awake that he was aching to try out. Starting his plan, he slowly tugged at the top Aila was wearing and began dropping light kisses along her shoulder. The dual sensation of his lips and beard brushing against her skin made her body shiver with delight.

"You were passed out just moments ago." Aila commented, trying to keep a clear head while melting into her husband's caress.

Avarik shrugged while smiling against Aila's collarbone. "Just a short nap until you join me in bed."

"But I'm not tired." Aila began to protest, but was cut off when Avarik brought his head up abruptly and started blowing lightly in her ear, causing her to squirm.

Avarik started inching himself off of the sofa as Aila heard him mumble something incoherent in her ear.

"What?" Aila asked, reaching a hand out to her husband. "Where are you going?"

"To the bedroom with you." Avarik flashed a seductive smile before scooping Aila into his arms and carrying her towards the back of their living quarters.

"But, I told you I was not tired."

Avarik chuckled at Aila. "You might not be now, my goddess. However, after what I have planned for you, I am sure you will be."


	31. Ch 30: The Announcement

**Chapter 30: The Announcement**

Aila smiled warmly as she traced lazy patterns against the flesh of Avarik's left arm, which was wrapped around her from behind. "Good morning." She murmured sleepily as he continued to place light kisses to the back of her neck. For the last two days Aila had been woken in the same way, and it was a nice reminder of the last few days she had spent with him. If there could be a good point to the attack of the slave traders, it was the fact that Avarik had remained with her for the last few days. He had not joined his crew on the bridge, hunted Jedi, or even started an argument with Aila. Avarik had just been with her, sharing some quiet time with her doing mundane tasks around their apartment or indulging in their love for one another.

It was a nice reprieve to not have her husband going about his Sithly duties. These few days were like a preview of what life could have been and could be if Obi-Wan had and would renounce the Sith. Aila gave a contented sigh as she basked in the memory of the last few days and snuggled back into her husband's warm body.

"You need to get dressed my goddess. We are going planetside this morning." Avarik murmured in Aila's ear, punctuating his statement with a kiss. In his arms he could feel Aila's body tense.

The happy bubble that had filled Aila's heart burst at Avarik's words. Those few words put an end to the holiday she had been enjoying with her husband. No more happy memories could be created on this day, the Emperor's life day. Even now, each kiss she received was not from the Jedi she loved, for he was fading under the guise of his Sith persona as he prepared to meet his Master. "I thought we would not have to leave until closer to the celebration?"

"Your security will be easier to handle if we leave now. Everyone expects us to leave tonight, so that is when our enemies will try to strike." Avarik answered. "No one knows of this change in departure plans except you, me, and Kestin. I do not want any repeats of our last visit to Coruscant.

Aila shivered as she recalled the attack of the bounty hunter and the subsequent pain she had felt when Sidious had tortured her husband for disobeying the Sith Lord's orders. That memory brought forth a sudden fear over something Aila knew would happen tonight.

"Do you think Sidious will try to hurt you again because of the incident on Murkhana? Or for something else that he disapproves of?"

It was Avarik's turn to shiver at the reminder of the incident. Not only had he felt great pain, but he knew Aila had felt it too due to the connection of their Force bond. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Avarik turned Aila into his arms so that he could lock his eyes with hers. "That will not happen. I left the Jedi to save you and our son from the slave traders. He stopped the attack last time when I mentioned our son, so I am sure he will understand."

"I do not think he is that concerned for my well being." Reflexively Aila laid a protective hand over her abdomen, while she added, "I think he had something to do with that smuggler attack."

Avarik sighed. "Aila, I know you do not agree with my Master, but he is not responsible for everything that goes wrong in this galaxy. We tracked those smugglers down to a group working for the Hutts. Those groups are notorious for stealing Imperial clearance codes, so they could have received the codes from their usual sources. You will not have to worry about anymore returning here. I have ordered that no merchants or other civilian personnel are authorized to enter this ship."

"Your Master planned the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan, and although you refuse to believe me, he framed the Jedi Knights as well." Aila's voice rose to emphasize her point.

Avarik rolled his eyes. "We will not start this argument again. One day you will see the Jedi for what they really are."

Aila shook her head. She could start this argument again right now, but she also knew it would be an inevitable topic of conversation tonight, so she would let it slide for now. It was frustrating that her husband did not realize that she started all these arguments out of love for him. Only by accepting the truth she provided could he have any hope at saving his soul.

* * *

Despite her desire to stay in their apartment aboard Avarik's star destroyer, Aila could not stop their journey back to Coruscant. As second in command to the Emperor, it was necessary that Avarik attend the Emperor's life day celebration. Aila's only consolation was that the trip planetside to her and Avarik's Coruscant apartment was uneventful. She, Avarik, and Kestin were able to retreat to their planetside apartment unnoticed so that they could prepare for the evening's celebration. However, the event still bothered her.

"Are you all right, my goddess? I sense something…." Avarik trailed off as a jumble of emotions trickled over their Force bond. He could sense anger and resentment from her, but it almost seemed like there was some guilt and reckless mischief wrapped around it. "What is troubling you?"

"Nothing." Aila stated calmly struggling to tamp down on her emotions that were giving her butterflies in her stomach. It was almost a wonder that she had not revealed to her husband what was really on her mind. Given his constant arguments against the Jedi and for the Sith he would not be pleased if he knew what she was anxiously contemplating.

"Tell me, what is bothering you." Avarik answered back, not believing Aila's response. He drew her into his arms and into a comforting embrace as he poured his love to her over their Force bond.

"I love you too." Aila smiled as she gave him a quick hug and a kiss before straightening out his cloak.

"Then tell me what is wrong."

"Nothing." Aila shrugged. "I just do not want to be here."

Avarik shook his head and sighed. He knew Aila did not want to go to this event, but as his wife she had to make an appearance per the Emperor's orders. Besides, she needed to get over her view of the Sith. The ways of the Sith were their future and this would be a good opportunity for her to see that. However, feeling a need to wash away her sense of uneasiness, Avarik did concede to one thing. "As soon as the Emperor dismisses me, we will leave."

Aila smiled at her husband's words.

"Shall we go then?" Avarik held out his arm to Aila which she promptly grasped as she gave a long suffering sigh.

"If we have to."

Avarik reached over and gently pulled her other hand to his and gave it a gentle, reassuring kiss before letting it go. "I love you."

Careful to keep her words from transmitting over their Force bond, Aila murmured to herself "And no matter what happens…." The last part she spoke aloud, while smiling warmly up at her husband. "I love you too."

* * *

Kestin met Aila and Avarik in the sitting room of their apartment. Kestin wore an identical dress to Aila's, a sleeveless floor length, dark blue gown that although regal looking was fairly plain in design so that it did not draw too much attention to Lord Avarik's beloved. Kestin was wearing an identical gown to more effectively play the role of a decoy in the event of a security breach, although none was expected. Kestin had fully recovered from her ordeal with the slave traders, and had even become less skittish around Lord Avarik who had thanked her profusely for protecting his wife. As long as he was not losing his temper, his lordship was not as bad as Kestin had initially thought. 

She traveled by private speeder with her Lord and Lady to the Emperor's celebration. Her heart beat in excitement at the prospect of mingling with the Imperial upper class. This was Kestin's first event as part of Lord Avarik's household and she was hoping all would go well so she could enjoy the evening. However, the flutter of Kestin's heart was nothing to that of her Mistress's, for Aila's heart beat frantically in anticipation as they approached the main hall where they would be formally announced.

Avarik ushered Kestin forward first who passed a small data chip to a boisterous twi'lek who was announcing the arrival of all of the Emperor's guests. Placing the data chip into a small datapad, he then read the name that appeared on his screen. "Lady Vanís."

After Kestin had started down the stairs, Avarik led Aila over to the announcer and handed him the small datapad which listed exactly how he wanted to be announced. The invitations to the Emperor's life day celebration had been sent out over a month prior to the event and Avarik had promptly responded in the affirmative that he would attend and filled out their former data card which said 'Lord and Lady Avarik'.

"Milord?" The twi'lek questioned Lord Avarik after he saw the formal name and title that was displayed on the datapad from the chip the Sith had given him. Aila noted that the twi'lek's brow was lined in confusion and her stomach lurched as she turned to her husband to see if he had noticed.

Lord Avarik cast the twi'lek an irritated glance for the delay in their announcement and waved a hand to indicate that he should proceed.

"But, milord?" The twi'lek protested once more.

Lord Avarik had filled out that announcement data chip the day of one of his "name" arguments with Aila. She told him countless times, that she was not the Lady Avarik, but he always fought her on that issue, claiming that the name of the man she married no longer had any meaning. During her arguments with him, Aila had been determined that he not forget who he actually was.

"There should be no problem, just read it." Avarik stated in a tone that called for no argument.

Aila's heart fluttered at the slight shrug the Twi'lek gave and she held her head high as the name was read. Aila had happened to intercept Avarik's announcement data chip during his working hours and was able to change the name without her husband noticing, for he had not looked at the data chip since the day he had prepared it. She had not been sure if she would get away with her plan, thinking Avarik would discover her secret, but somehow she always managed to provide suitable answers to any of his suspicions. So Aila let a great swell of pride flow through her as she heard the twi'lek announce the arrival of: "Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady Kenobi."


	32. Ch 31: Challenging the Sith

**A/N:** Just a note about this chapter. We are not done with the "Life Day" party or the excitement that Aila stirred up from the last chapter, so there will be more to come on this.

* * *

**Chapter 31: Challenging the Sith**

Silence filled the Senate ballroom that was being used for the night's festivities, but Aila did not get a chance to take it all in for she did not hear silence, but an angry shout over her Force bond.

"What did you do?" Avarik growled, his eyes flashing a dangerous hue of amber.

Aila turned towards her husband, her gaze steady and defiant as she looked at him. She spoke over their Force bond as well. "I made sure the correct names were read tonight." Aila started to descend the stairs towards the crowd of people that were gaping up at them, but was stopped as Avarik grabbed her upper arm, digging his fingers into her flesh.

"You know that name no longer has any meaning to me!" Avarik hissed with outrage.

"And you know that Avarik has no meaning for me." Aila fired back.

An audible growl deep in Avarik's chest made the nearby twi'lek announcer tremble with fear. He did not need to hear the conversation happening between Aila and Avarik to know that the Sith Lord had not been expecting that name to be read. The twi'lek had suspected he should not have read it, but he was too frightened of the Sith to not read it, if it had been legitimate. The stories of Avarik's anger were legendary. Although Avarik's sickly yellow eyes were trained on his wife, the twi'lek was worried that at any moment they would turn on him. All eyes in the room, including the Emperor's were staring up at the landing at the ensuing standoff between husband and wife.

"I… I am sorry…" The twi'lek spluttered in a shaky voice that carried through the silence. "This data terminal must have been tampered with… I am pleased to announce Lord and Lady Avarik!"

Avarik never heard the announcement of his Sith name, as he was busy yelling at his wife. "What were you thinking?" His words were clipped and stern as his fury bubbled. "You know the Jedi have been outlawed. They are the enemies of the Empire. They are our enemies! What you just did could be implied as treason!"

Although a ripple of fear did travel down Aila's spine as she contemplated what treason entailed, she remained defiant. When she had changed the data chip with their names, she had been quite aware of all of the ramifications. She knew her husband would be infuriated, but at the time, she had been frustrated with him. He was a good person, not a Sith Lord, and since he would not listen to her arguments to him this seemed to be the best way to capture his attention. Additionally, she had felt a great deal of excitement at the prospect of sending a message to the Emperor, himself, to let him know that she would continue to fight for her husband. Yes, it was reckless to anger a Sith Lord, and even worse to anger two of them, but the last few months of being locked with a husband who flipped between his Jedi and Sith personalities had driven her to this moment. Obi-Wan might have given up against the Sith, but she most certainly had not and she wanted him and Sidious to be aware of it.

"You will apologize to my Master." Avarik stated tersely through the Force.

"No!" Aila shouted back at him over their bond. "I will not apologize for being right."

"Aila, you…." Another deep growl resonated in Avarik's chest and his fingers tightened around Aila's arm.

"Are you threatening me?" Aila's eyes narrowed as she cast a glance at Avarik's hand on her arm and then up at him.

Instantly, Avarik became aware of the strength of the grasp on her arm and loosened it. At the same moment, he realized that everyone in the Senate ballroom was staring up at them. "Come on, we will discuss this later." Avarik firmly held Aila's hand in his as he guided her down the stairs. "Do not say anything, let me handle this."

Avarik guided Aila to the raised dais of the throne that had been setup for the Emperor to oversee the events of his life day celebration. Upon reaching the dais, Avarik knelt down and bowed his head in supplication. "My master." He muttered as he tried to pull Aila down by his side, but Aila stubbornly refused to move. She kept her head held high as she stared back at the Sith Lord who had torn her and her husband's world apart.

"Aila, such a pleasure to see you again." The Emperor greeted with cold disdain. "I trust you are well?"

"Of course, and you?" Aila's eyes did not show any of the politeness her question was meant to show.

"Fine. A bit surprised by the error made a few moments ago, but I am sure you will forgive the mistake." Next to Aila, Avarik's shoulders relaxed at his Master's calm disregard of previous events. He had been worried about the reaction to Aila's rebellious prank. "I do hope you will enjoy this party." Sidious turned his gaze from the defiant woman, who was coldly staring back at him, and addressed his apprentice. "Lord Avarik, see to your wife's comfort and then come and see me. We have much to discuss."

"Yes, my Master." Avarik bowed his head in acknowledgement before rising to his feet to escort Aila away. Kestin who had been shocked by the announcement of Lord Avarik's Jedi name maintained her watch on her surroundings as she followed closely behind the couple even though inwardly she was scowling at her mistress.

* * *

Senators, generals, and the upper nobility of Coruscant were all mingling together for the Emperor's life day party. The loyal Imperials had looks of smug satisfaction of their invitation to this event, while some Senators seemed to squirm uneasily at their participation in this event. However, after his momentary dismissal from the Emperor, Lord Avarik did not allow Aila a chance to join in the festivities. He found a small quiet room away from the crowd and locked the two of them inside while Kestin stood guard at the other side of the door.

"What were you thinking?" Avarik's voice was cold and unfeeling as he spoke.

"I think the real question is, what are you thinking?" Aila fired back, her gaze locked on her husband's. Although the natural blue-green color had dissolved into its Sithly yellow hue, Aila did not flinch from it.

Avarik growled, his fingers flexing and unflexing into a fist at his side as he fought to control his temper. "Do not toy with me, you know what you did is wrong."

"Is it wrong, to announce the name and title of my husband?"

Before Aila could add to her question, the air was knocked out of her as Avarik pulled her into his arms and his lips possessively captured hers, demanding entrance to the warmth of her mouth. "I am your husband!" Avarik growled over their Force bond.

"Only the good man, who was once a Jedi, is my husband." Aila answered back over their bond, her lips held firmly shut as she scowled at Avarik. "The Sith is merely a poison that consumes him."

Avarik's lips stilled and broke away from their quest to dominate Aila's.

Emboldened, Aila continued, "The Sith Lord is using you for his own gain. He uses guilt and lies to bind you to his service. You have to learn to forgive yourself to break away from his hold."

"The Jedi were always against us." Avarik's eyes fell to the floor as he took in Aila's plea.

Sensing that her husband was finally listening to her, Aila laid a soft reassuring hand on his cheek, as she continued. "Only a few, Anakin…"

"Anakin stole you from me! He will pay for that once I find him! Now, I must speak with my Master. Stay close to Kestin until I return." Avarik spun on his heel, his dark cloak billowing out behind him as he left Aila to shake her head in dismay.

"You pushed him too far and too fast, milady." The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn resounded in her mind. His tone was stern and seemed to chastise her behavior. "You were rather reckless and should be more careful."

Aila sighed. "I know. I was angry when I changed that data chip, but I cannot say that I am sorry that I did it."

"It is promising that he listened to you for a while, but the battle is not won yet. He still clings to his anger and guilt." Qui-Gon added.

Aila gave a sad smile. "To think he was one of the most rational Jedi in the Order, and now he will not listen to reason."

"Give him time, milady. His wounds from the Jedi Council run deep and will not heal overnight. That being said, I must leave for I cannot linger in one place for too long without Sidious discovering my presence. I just wanted to let you know that although you might win a small victory tonight, do not underestimate the Emperor. He will find a way to strike back at the both of you."

Before Aila could answer, the door that Avarik had just left through opened and Kestin peered inside. "Milady? Are you all right?"

Aila jumped slightly at the sound of her handmaiden's voice. So engrossed in her conversation with Qui-Gon she had not been prepared for any interruptions. She wanted to answer back to the Jedi Master, but deep down she knew he had already left to hide his presence in the Force. "I'm fine." Aila answered to Kestin instead, and made her way towards the door and the awaiting celebration. "Has my husband left to speak with the Emperor?"

"Yes, milady. They both left for a private chamber a moment ago." Kestin answered, taking a step back so that Aila could join her within the main audience hall that housed the Emperor's life day celebration. Instantly eyes turned towards Aila, scrutinizing her as she came into view.

Kestin quickly scanned the turned faces for any sign of a threat before addressing her mistress. "Milady, forgive me if my comments are out of place, but why did you change that data chip?"

"Because my husband needs to be reminded of who he truly is." Aila flashed a wide smile to the crowd that was staring at her.

"Well even so, milady, it does draw unnecessary attention to you and could be a security risk."

Aila turned sharply towards Kestin, her smile dissolving into a scowl. "The Emperor is a Sith Lord and we are attending his life day celebration. We are in the midst of a security risk, without my actions."


	33. Ch 32: The Emperor Strikes Back

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long to post, but it's a long chapter for me, so enjoy!

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* * *

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**Chapter 32: The Emperor Strikes Back**

"So, Lord Avarik. It appears your wife is still stuck in the past." Sidious commented as he and Avarik entered a large conference room away from the night's festivities. The hood of Sidious' dark cloak was down so that his mangled features were clearly visible to Avarik.

"I can assure you I had no idea what she had done. Had I known…."

"Had you known, Lord Avarik. You would have stopped it. However, I must say that I am surprised with your Force abilities that you did not foresee what she was up to."

Avarik shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "I did not…"

"Or perhaps your feelings for her are clouding your abilities. You may love her, my apprentice…" Sidious held back his disgust at that admission before continuing. "However, you can not let her distract you from what is truly important, or you risk losing her."

"She is not a distraction." Avarik offered in reply. "She's just stubborn and stuck in the past. I am sure she will come around someday."

"Perhaps when the threat of the Jedi has been eliminated." Sidious tone was cold as his eyes turned on his apprentice, their unnatural yellow trained as if they were burning a hole into his Avarik's soul.

Avarik nodded and was about to say something when Sidious cut him off.

"However, if my reports are correct, you let three Jedi on Murkhana escape, three Jedi you could have easily defeated. May I ask why?"

Avarik did not flinch as he gave his reply. He was calm and confident in his tone. "Aila was in trouble; a band of slave traders broke past security on my ship and attempted to kidnap her."

Sidious nodded as if he felt this was a legitimate excuse. "Were these slave traders Force users?"

Avarik's eyes closed as his mind thought back to the men he had killed that day to free Aila. His head slowly shook from side to side as he said, "No."

"And did you use the Force to foresee their true intentions. Did you see that they intended to hurt or kill Aila?" Sidious pressed on, a hint of menace rising in his voice.

"No, but…" Avarik had not cared what the Force told him, what had been important was getting home to rescue Aila.

Sidious did not let Avarik offer an excuse for his actions. "Then you let an average band of slave traders with no Force abilities; lure you away from defeating a group of Jedi who have been known to be plotting against your wife. You know you could have easily tracked those smugglers down even if they had taken Aila away, while you killed those Jedi…."

"But they could have killed Aila!" Avarik shouted in protest, his eyes flashing a dangerous shade of yellow, equal in color to Sidious, as he recalled that fateful day.

Sidious raised his chin in a knowing gesture. "Think, my apprentice! They are slave traders. They do not kill people, they sell them. I am sure Aila would have been quite safe while you had a chance to destroy our true enemies, the Jedi. Instead you let them escape due to your distraction, and now what do you have to show for it? Aila is safe for now, but those same Jedi that you let go are probably plotting against her as we speak."

"I…" Avarik started to form a protest that died in his throat as Sidious; words processed in his mind. What his Master said was logical, the Jedi were the bigger threat to Aila. However, he also knew that he could not consciously stay away from her when she was in trouble. The slave traders might not have intended to kill her, but he could not let the woman he loved be forced to spend an extra second with them.

Sidious watched his apprentice become lost in thought and grew angrier that Avarik's love for Aila was influencing Avarik's decisions. Attempting to focus Avarik's attention back to the darker emotions and feelings that kept him in Sidious' power, the elder Sith added. "Perhaps when the Jedi overthrow all that you have worked for you can provide a proper explanation to Aila and your son as to why you have failed once more."

The mention of his unborn child brought a sense of cold dread to the pit of Avarik's stomach. It was true that as long as the Jedi were alive they were a threat to not only Aila, but to Avarik's son as well. "I will find the Jedi once more and finish the job." Avarik's voice rang with steely determination.

"I am sure of it, my apprentice. However, that does not make up for the fact that you disobeyed my orders and allowed the Jedi to escape. Some sort of punishment is in order…." Sidious raised a hand to quiet his apprentice whose eyes were fearfully pleading with his Master for mercy. "However, as any physical harm to you would also affect Aila and your growing son, I will need to come up with another method of payment for your failure. I will not risk the safety of our future apprentice. Until such time as I declare a proper punishment, know that you have provided the Jedi with a victory against us, one we must work quickly against if all we have worked for is not lost. It would be a shame if young Skywalker is able to build a small army against you and your family, my apprentice." The corners of Sidious' mouth cracked into a small smile as he felt Avarik's rage boil at the name of his former padawan. It was good to know that the wounds inflicted by the Jedi Council, and the unwitting Anakin Skywalker still were raw for his apprentice. "Now go and enjoy the rest of the evening, I will rejoin the festivities shortly." Sidious waved his hand toward the conference room door, using the Force to open it.

"As you wish, my Master." Avarik spoke through gritted teeth; his breathing was heavy as he fought to control the anger that Sidious had provoked in him.

* * *

"Begging your pardon, milady. The Emperor was able to end the Clone Wars. So, being a Sith Lord is not a bad thing, after all your husband is one." Kestin spoke to her mistress, still displeased with Aila's seeming disregard for her treasonous actions.

Aila cast Kestin a look of disappointment. "I thought I made it clear that my husband is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Well, yes, but…" Kestin struggled to find an appropriate response.

Aila sighed. "It's all right; Obi-Wan's and my story is complicated. And you do not know what I do concerning the Emperor."

"I'm sorry, milady. It is not my place to argue with you." Kestin put a reassuring hand on Aila's shoulder. Although she still did not agree with her mistress, she felt bad that she may have caused her some distress.

"Don't worry about…"

Aila's own reassurances back to her handmaiden were cutoff by the sound of a gentle male voice calling her name. "Lady Kenobi?"

Aila turned towards the speaker and smiled widely at the Senator who was standing before her.

"Milady, I am not sure if we have ever met. I am…"

"Senator Organa of Alderaan. It is a pleasure to meet you." Aila held out her hand to shake the Senator's, but instead he raised it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss to the back of it. The Senator was dressed in a deep green tunic with grey trousers decorated with the symbols and honors of his station.

"I am pleased that you know who I am. I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you milady, in private?"

Aila frowned at this request, not because she did not want to hear what the Senator had to say, but she feared how it would look to the Emperor, but more importantly her husband. Lord Avarik's jealousy and possessiveness of Aila might make a conversation with the Senator quite tricky. As if in answer to her feelings, a wave of anger flooded over her Force bond, telling her the meeting with the Emperor was not going well.

"I am sorry, Senator. But, my husband would not take kindly to me being ushered somewhere away from my security team." In the distance, a band started playing a slow waltz and men and women started gathering in the center of the hall as they started to dance with one another.

"I see." Senator Organa cast a glance at Kestin, who was eyeing him with great scrutiny. Her attention was so caught up with the man who was addressing her mistress, that she jumped in surprise when another male voice spoke to her.

Dressed in full military regalia, a young man bowed before Kestin, his hand extended towards her as he stated, "Milady, I am Lieutenant Commander Lorth Needa, and I would be honored if you would share this dance with me."

Kestin blushed crimson at the young man's request. She was ashamed at being caught off guard by his presence and even more taken aback that a Lieutenant Commander in the Imperial Navy would even think of asking her to dance. She sputtered out her answer, failing to form anything coherent in reply. "Well, umm, you see…"

"She would love to." Aila answered for Kestin with a warm smile. She hoped that by getting Kestin onto the dance floor, Senator Organa could make his private word with her short before Avarik returned from his meeting with the Emperor. Additionally, it was fun playing the temporary matchmaker for Kestin. Lieutenant Commander Needa might have been an Imperial officer, but if her knowledge of the Original Star Wars Trilogy was not failing her, Aila thought it would be nice if his story could end differently under Avarik's term as Sith than it had under Lord Vader's.

"But, milady. Lord Avarik said I…." Kestin protested.

"Lord Avarik?" The gracious smile on Needa's face fell and a shiver ran down his spine, but he swallowed his fear down and stood rigid. "I did not wish to disturb."

Aila waved off Needa's comment. "You are not disturbing anything. Lord Avarik is my husband and should take no issue with my handmaiden dancing with you. I can stay here until my husband returns."

"But milady, for security reasons, I need…"

Aila sighed exasperatedly. "Do not keep this young man waiting. If you are that concerned about leaving my side, I will find a dance partner and join you on the floor until my husband returns."

Having watched the back and forth between Aila and her handmaiden, Senator Organa took the opening that had been afforded to him. "Milady, my wife had to remain on Alderaan for matters of state, and I would be pleased to escort you to the dance floor."

Smiling, Aila replied. "I would be most honored to join you, Senator." Aila took Organa's arm and let him usher her to the floor. She called out over her shoulder. "If you intend to work as my security, Kestin, you and Commander Needa should join us."

* * *

Out on the dance floor, Aila and Senator Organa moved in a slow circle near her handmaiden and her dance partner. Kestin might have insisted Aila join her on the pretense of keeping a watch over her, but Kestin's attention was focused more on not having her feet stepped on by Needa. With her handmaiden occupied in an awkward waltz with Needa, Aila took the opportunity to whisper a quick statement to Senator Organa. "Senator I am afraid privacy is not a luxury we will have." Aila's eyes scanned the crowd of other dancers over Organa's shoulder to see if anyone was paying any attention to them. "However, no one appears to be looking our way…."

Understanding her request, Organa leaned towards Aila and whispered in her ear. "Milady, I wanted to bring you some news on some friends of yours. Pad…."

"No!" Aila whispered sharply. "Do not tell me. My husband intends to kill them if he can find them and he has the ability to read my thoughts. Please tell me no more, Senator, I beg of you."

"As you wish milady." Organa replied with a nod of his head.

"Just tell them I said to be safe. I will do everything I can to make my husband see reason in regards to them, but right now he will hear none of it."

"I will, milady."

"Thank you." Aila whispered in Organa's ear, only to jump in surprise as a wave of jealousy flooded over to her along her Force bond. Eyes wide, Aila murmured, "Obi-Wan!"

Organa looked over Aila's shoulder and could see the Sith Lord pushing past people to reach them. "He is heading this way."

"I know." Aila murmured with a bit of a tremor, not for herself, but for Organa. He did not need to be on the wrong side of her husband.

Taking a hint from her tone, Organa took a step back from Aila and bowed low to her. "I am sure your husband would like to spend the rest of the evening with you milady. I thank you for the dance and wish you a pleasant evening."

Before she could answer, a possessive hand snaked around Aila and pulled her into her husband's chest. Beneath his fingertips, the Force rippled with the presence of his unborn child, but Avarik took no notice of it. "Thank you Senator for entertaining my wife while I was away." Avarik's voice was calm and steady, but Aila could feel the vehemence behind those words over their Force bond.

"It was nothing, Lord Avarik." Organa bowed in respect. "You wife is charming company. Now if you will excuse me, I will leave you two alone." Organa turned on his heel to leave, his pace was hurried as he moved through the crowd as a brief glimpse of Avarik's unnatural yellow eyes urged him to make his escape.

* * *

"What were you doing with Senator Organa?" Avarik's low growl sent shivers down Aila's spine, but she remained calm as she answered him.

"Kestin was asked to dance by Commander Needa over there." Aila turned her head in the direction of her handmaiden and the Imperial officer. Needa had managed to step on Kestin's toes again, causing the woman to grimace in pain. Continuing her explanation to her husband while keeping her eyes on Kestin and Needa, Aila added. "She would not leave my side unless I was with her, and Senator Organa was nice enough to fill in for you until you returned from your meeting."

Avarik tightened his hold around Aila's waist as he brought his lips down to the shell of her ear. "He was rather close to you."

"We were just dancing, and he was not nearly as close as I let you get, my husband." Aila responded, wriggling slightly against her husband's body to emphasize her point. Although Aila was trying to carefully respond to her husband's possessive nature, she was a bit hurt that he did not trust her. Yes, she had sneakily changed the data chip with their names listed on it for this party, but even that had been done out of love for the man she had married.

Avarik spun Aila around in his arms so that he could look into her eyes. His sithly yellow clashed with her deep blue ones as he murmured. "He whispered something to you?"

Aila sighed in exasperation. "Is it now a crime for anyone but you to speak to me?"

"No. However…"

Aila shook her head before Avarik could continue. "Are you so angry with me over my previous actions that you would doubt my love for you?" Unable to stop herself, Aila heard her voice crack as she stared back into her husband's cold, unfeeling eyes. It was difficult to see such a stark reminder of his current allegiance to the Sith.

The slight tremble of Aila's bottom lip and the sadness inherit in Aila's statement penetrated deep into Avarik's heart, causing his eyes to instantly change back to their natural blue-green color. His left hand came up and gently caressed her face. "I am sorry. I should not have… I know… I just…."

Her husband's stammering gave her a glimpse at the Obi-Wan she loved, rather than the Sith he had become. This triggered a memory from long ago to spring in her mind that brought a small smile to her lips despite the sadness she had felt earlier. "Perhaps I should not be upset with you. After all, I do recall that you have never liked to see me dance with anyone else, but you." Opening her Force bond wide, Aila shared the memory of a similar argument that had occurred at a charity event they had attended on Earth:

_The hands of some would-be suitor left Aila's body much to her relief as they mysteriously left her alone. She did not quite understand why they had suddenly turned away from her, but she was glad for it. She hoped this momentary reprieve would allow her to get back to Obi-Wan so they could leave the night's festivities. She had known this was not going to be n enjoyable evening and she wanted to go home._

_She was just turning towards the bar, where she had left Obi-Wan, when she jumped in surprise by the possessive arm that drew her hard into a broad chest. Her heart fluttered with a moment of panic as she contemplated what would happen next._

_However, she gave a great sigh of relief and calmed down when she heard a cultured voice whisper in the ear, "I am sorry milady, but I am afraid I will have to stay with you for the rest of the evening."_

"_But you don't know what you are doing." Aila tried to reason with him. Although she was glad to be in his protective embrace and out of the hands of the other men who were vying for her attention, Aila was certain the pounding baseline's of modern Earth music were nothing like the refined events a Jedi Knight would attend. _

"_I will manage. I cannot believe you would let them do that to you." Obi-Wan added a bit harsher than he had intended._

_Aila spun around in his arms angrily so that she was facing him. "I do not let them do anything. So do not talk about things you do not understand."_

_Obi-Wan did not know what to say to this. His heart was pounding fervently in his chest and he suspected it was from standing so close to Aila. This was the closest the two of them had been together since he had crashed his starfighter in her yard. He was looking down into Aila's eyes, which now flashed with anger and irritation. Her emotions were obviously out of control, and he was starting to feel his slip._

_Aila was frustrated by Obi-Wan's silence and was starting to throw out another angry retort when she was silenced by the overwhelming passion that inflamed hers and her future husband's first kiss._

Back in the present and caught up in Aila's shared memory, Avarik could not help himself, but to capture his wife's lips in a kiss that rivaled the one he gave her all those years ago. "Sometimes you push me too far, my goddess." Avarik commented over their Force bond, referring to Aila's antics past and present. However, any previous anger and jealousy geared towards her vanished from his thoughts as he took possession of the lips that had tempted and teased him since he first met Aila.

Aila smiled against her husband's lips, not caring for the audience they were drawing stares from as she wrapped her arms around her husband. "Like I always say, no matter what happens, I love you and I know deep down that even when you are angry at me that you love me as well." Aila stated over their Force bond as their kiss continued.

"Always, my goddess. Always." Avarik murmured in response.

Around him, some couples looked on approvingly to the display of love before them, others looked on with a bit of distaste that such passion was being displayed in public. Commander Needa was one that smiled at the Sith and his wife, wondering if he could find such bliss with the woman in his arms. For her part, Kestin felt a strange swooping sensation in her stomach as she watched Lord Avarik hungrily capture his wife's lips, but she did not have time to examine her feelings for she was too busy trying to not get stepped on by Commander Needa. However, the face showing the strongest emotions, disgust and disapproval, was the Emperor. He was staring down at his apprentice and his wife from the throne he had just retaken after his meeting with his apprentice.

* * *

Love! Sidious despised it, for it was love that was spurring on the display in the middle of the dance floor. It was that same love that made Avarik disobey Sidious' orders on Murkhana and it was love that weakened Sidious' hold on Avarik's soul. When Aila had gone missing and Avarik thought she was dead, the young Sith had been quite susceptible to the dark side. He had not fought its hold and had let it consume him. Without Aila, Avarik did not question his Master, but served him blindly, too overcome by grief, anguish, and despair to stop and question his actions.

However, Aila always held Avarik back. It was true that Avarik denied the truth that Aila posed to her husband, but at this moment Sidious could see even that resolve was waning. It would probably be best to quit his stalling and just kill Aila now, but he could not let his apprentice know of that plot. Sidious was certain that if Avarik knew of his Master's true intentions for his wife, then he might be able to ensnare the young Sith in a darkness he could not escape. However, in revenge his volatile apprentice would likely lash out against him for striking against Aila.

Sidious knew that he had to be careful when considering what to do with Aila. Just a few months ago on Coruscant his apprentice had that and failed to overthrow Sidious, having been spurned on by the revelation that his wife was alive. Sidious had been able to thwart this assassination attempt and use it to illustrate weakness in Avarik and his apprentice's inability to protect his wife. At the time, this link to his wife was a tool to keep Avarik under Sidious' power, but now Aila was a threat to him.

However, to harm Aila now would also remove any chance of capturing Kenobi's son as Sidious' own. A small child could be taught the ways of the dark side at an early age without the attachments his parents held. With the son of Kenobi at his side, Sidious could destroy Avarik and Aila and wipe their love from the galaxy. Sidious could then rule the galaxy with a young apprentice he could mold to not feel the love and attachment of his parents.

However to gain the ultimate prize of a strong apprentice, Sidious had to keep Aila alive. He had hoped that his band of slave traders he sent after Aila would have moved her to the rendezvous point he had set up before Avarik could reach her. At that point Sidious could have found ways to hide her from his apprentice so that the child could be born and Aila could subsequently be killed. However, instead those bumbling fools had dawdled and failed to complete their mission. Those smugglers were lucky that Avarik killed them before Sidious could reach them and make them truly suffer, but at the same time it meant Sidious could not vent his own anger. Sidious would have taken great glee in any physical punishment he gave Avarik since it would hurt Aila as well, but the Sith would not risk the safety of his future apprentice growing within the woman's womb.

Without a physical punishment, all Sidious could dole out to his apprentice were mental and emotional pain over events from the past and tying them to present day. However, with Aila's presence, there could be a time when those lies quit hurting his apprentice and that worried Sidious the most. Sidious might have Avarik cloaked in darkness, but with Aila's capture of his apprentice's heart, the darkness was in danger of being cast aside.

Shaking his head in disgust at his apprentice Sidious uttered. "His love of her will be his undoing." He had wished the band of smugglers he had hired had finished their job so he could get Aila away from Avarik, but now with Avarik's constant vigil of her on his star destroyer, that was not possible…. Or was it?

A smile formed across Sidious' lips as a solution popped into his mind. He could salvage the mistakes of the smugglers and achieve his goals. A physical punishment would not be needed if Sidious attacked Avarik's heart.

Raising his hands to silence the orchestra, Sidious rose from his throne and took a few paces towards the edge of the dais it rested upon. "Senators and honorable guests, I have an announcement to make." Sidious paused for all eyes to turn to him. He repressed the sneer of disgust he wanted to flash at Avarik as his apprentice's lips parted from his wife. "I would like to thank you all for attending this celebration. During the Clone Wars, celebrations like these were difficult to come by. It is a testament to the work completed by our military that the threats of the Separatists and the Jedi have been suppressed."

A round of applause and cheers sounded throughout the hall. Next to Aila, Avarik applauded his Master's words, while she wrinkled her nose in disgust. The momentary after-glow she had felt from her husband's kiss fading as the Sith Lord continued with his speech. A few Senators, loyal to the Republic and the ideals of democracy joined her and withheld their applause at the Emperor's speech.

"I would like to take a moment to recognize the actions of my apprentice, Lord Avarik." A round of applause sounded for Avarik before Sidious continued. "He has been dutifully tracking down the remaining Jedi and removing their threat so we can live a more peaceful existence. As such I would like to award Lord Avarik for his actions. Lord Avarik, come here if you please."

His brow furrowing by this unexpected announcement, Avarik hesitated for a moment before starting to stride towards his Master. However, his journey towards the dais was paused once more when Aila grabbed his forearm, "Wait, what is going on?" She murmured, something telling her this was not going to be good.

Catching the small interaction between Aila and Avarik, Sidious prompted his apprentice to move, "Lord Avarik?"

"Aila, I have to go." Avarik wriggled his arm out of her grasp before striding towards the dais and kneeling before his Master.

Pleased by the display from supplication by his apprentice, Sidious continued, "In commemoration of my Apprentice's efforts, I would like to award him with dominion over the planet of Vjun and a permanent residence at the Chateau Malreaux. My apprentice is free to do with the planet and the residence as he wishes."

"Thank you, my Master. This is quite a surprise." Avarik spoke out loud before dropping his voice so only Sidious could hear it, "But I thought I was not in your favor, my Master, due to the events on Murkhana?"

"If you speak of your punishment." Sidious murmured so his voice would not carry over the applause of the crowd. "Be patient, it is coming."

"I am sorry, my Master." Avarik bowed his head in supplication again, hoping whatever his Master had planned was not too terrible.

"Yes, congratulations Lord Avarik, on a job well done." Sidious spoke to the crowd once more. Although he was addressing all in attendance, his malicious yellow eyes focused on Aila. "However, with each victory, comes great danger to us all. Just recently the Lady Avarik was threatened as Lord Avarik was completing a mission. She was aboard Avarik's Star Destroyer and was nearly kidnapped by a band of smugglers. I have received reports of similar events happening to other women in our fighting force." Sidious paused for a moment before continuing, pleased that no one was questioning the lies he was concocting. Not only would his announcement punish Avarik and Aila, but it would get rid of a group he considered as worthless to the maintenance of his control.

"The ladies of the Empire should not face these types of threats, especially on a military vessel. I know there are some that have served the former Republic and the Empire loyally, but as we have changed the government, so must its people change. The role of a woman should be to maintain the home and take care of the family for their husbands. Their presence in the military is an unneeded distraction, for it is natural that a man would wish to protect them from harm whether they are married or no. To be successful in our fight against our enemies, we cannot allow such distraction to plague our military." Sidious' eyes narrowed on Aila as he made his final announcement. "As such I am decreeing that from this day forward, no women will be allowed onboard a military vessel. No exceptions granted!"

There was a mixture of applause and a few protests from some of the women Imperial officers present in the room, but Aila heard none of it. Her mind was buzzing with the implication of what the Emperor's decree entailed, and by the wave of regret she could feel over their Force bond, she knew her husband was doing the same. The Emperor intended for her to be separated from her husband.

Sidious would see to it that Lord Avarik stayed busy, so he could not be with Aila. Unable to be near him, Aila feared her husband would be more and more susceptible to Sidious' efforts to control him. It was just as Qui-Gon Jinn had warned her, although she had won a victory with the declaration of Obi-Wan's true name, the war over her husband's soul was not over. Unfortunately, the Emperor's latest tactic would make it difficult for Aila to have any influence over her husband and it would be nearly impossible for her to fight the Emperor's hold over him. It was heart wrenching to think that her one small victory may lead to the ultimate loss of the man she loved.


	34. Ch 33: The Birth of Rebellion

**Chapter 33: The Birth of Rebellion**

Grief stricken by what she would lose from the Emperor's declaration, Aila struggled to keep her emotions in check. She did not want the Emperor to know how upset she was by his announcement, but given the malicious gleam in his eyes, she knew he was already aware of the pain he was causing her. Unable to stand watching the Sith Lord gloat, Aila dropped her gaze to her hands trying to think up a solution to this newest dilemma. However, it was hard to think of anything when her heart was breaking and her mind was buzzing with all sorts of terrible possibilities this announcement could bring for her and her husband.

So caught up in her own thoughts, Aila missed the conversation that was happening between Master and Apprentice across the room. The shocked murmurs from the crowd were further drowning out what was being discussed between the two Sith, ensuring that it would not attract Aila's attention. "Master?" Lord Avarik began as his mind raced to find the right words to say.

"Yes, Lord Avarik?" Sidious answered, although his eyes never left the defeated form of Aila. He relished in the fact that he could cause her such pain. It was nice to be victorious over her.

"What of Aila's security? I need to be with her." Avarik stated with a bit of a plea for Sidious to allow him one exception.

"You can lock her away on that chateau I just granted you on Vjun. Between her security team and the planet's own hostile environment, I am sure she will be perfectly safe while you are away."

"But…" Avarik began.

Sidious turned his gaze from Aila in a sudden sharp movement and stared down at his still kneeling apprentice. "Lord Avarik, she is a distraction to your work. You failed to finish off a small group of Jedi because of her."

"She was in danger!" Avarik protested.

Sidious tone became more commanding to rebuke no further arguments as he continued. "She was endangered because security on your Star Destroyer is lax. My latest decree will get her off that Star Destroyer and you can secure her somewhere else, so your focus can return to your missions against the Jedi. If a band of smugglers can get on your ship, so can a group of Jedi. You can consider this separation as your punishment for the failure on Murkhana, Lord Avarik. However, I do believe I am being lenient with you as I am merely giving you the means to secure your wife where you have failed in the past."

"But what if someone goes after her while I am away on a mission. Just because she is off my ship will not end any threats against her."

"With a proper security plan, as should have been in place on your Star Destroyer, she will be safe my apprentice."

Avarik shook his head. "A proper security plan is me, her husband, by her side. Only I am strong enough to fight against the threat of the Jedi." The dull murmur of multiple conversations began to fade throughout the room as all eyes turned towards Sidious and Avarik and the heated argument that was happening between the Emperor and his second in command. Even Aila had shifted her gaze back to her husband, but the sight of him kneeling in deference before the Emperor just made her heart break.

Sidious' eyes flashed dangerously at Avarik's continued protests. His tone was cold and biting as he replied. "I would remind you, my apprentice, that you are missing a few limbs after your last encounter with Jedi Master…" Sidious emphasized the title to stir up Avarik's anger and hatred of the Jedi Council. "…Anakin Skywalker. He bested you once, and if you are distracted, he will do it again. You won't do Aila much good if you are dead."

"He won't beat me again!" Avarik declared, his hands clenching in fists at his side.

"No, he will not, my apprentice." Sidious agreed. "Because you are going to find him before he has a chance to strike, and without the distraction of your wife, I do believe that search will go more quickly."

"No!" Avarik shouted and jumped to his feet. His muscles tensed as his eyes took on a more sickly yellow color than his Master's. "I will not leave her!"

A gasp rang throughout the crowd of people at Avarik's show of defiance, but none was louder than Aila's, who could not believe what she had just heard.

"My wife was stolen from me once; I will not let that happen again. Aila will stay with me, where I can protect her. She belongs with me!" Avarik growled out with stern resolve. Despite his dark tone, Aila's heart fluttered wildly in her chest. It was not a total victory in that her husband still clung to the dark side of the Force, but his defiance of Sidious was a big step towards redeeming himself. Moving forward to support her husband's decision, Aila approached the dais where the Emperor stood. Standing behind Avarik, she put a reassuring hand on her husband's left shoulder and sent all her love and happiness to him over their Force bond to show her approval and delight at his decision.

Sidious was momentarily taken aback by his apprentice's refusal to submit to his latest edict, but it did not take long for that shock to turn into a violent rage. For a split second, the yellow that usually permeated the Sith Lord's eyes turned a deep shade of red before turning back to their usual amber coloring. "You would defy me?! You would let the Jedi traitors take over once more?" In Sidious' hand, small bolts of Force lightning sparked from his fingertips. Whispers filtered from the surrounding crowd as they waited with a combination of fear, dread, and excitement over what would happen next.

At Aila's light touch, Avarik felt some of the tension in his spine release and the anger that had been consuming him left, causing his eyes to change to their natural blue-green color. He reflexively brought his right hand up, so that the metal fingers could twine with Aila's as he sent her his own love and affection over their bond before answering his Master. He shook his head slowly before replying calmly. "I will continue to hunt the Jedi, for they betrayed both me and Aila and they must pay for their crimes." Behind him, Aila recoiled slightly as she had always been against her husband's pursuit of the Jedi, but his hand on hers kept her from going anywhere while he continued. "However, Aila will be with me while I hunt them."

"My edict states…." Sidious began, his eyes shifting from Avarik's and Aila's as he flashed both a look of fury.

"I know what your edict states and I am telling you that I will not follow it." Avarik's reply was quick and decisive and he did not waver in his response.

"It's treason then…." Sidious stated with lethal intent, before pointing his hand at Avarik, ready to strike him with a lightning attack. So enraged by his apprentice's actions, Sidious did not care if his actions would hurt Aila or the child she was carrying, all he wanted was revenge.

"Look out! Obi-Wan!" Something in the Force screamed at Avarik and he took action immediately. Stepping sideways to ensure that Aila was blocked from his Master, Avarik withdrew his crimson bladed lightsaber from the folds of his cloak, ignited it, and held it before him. Concentrating on his knowledge of the Force, when his Master's lightning attack came towards him he was able to draw the deadly energy into his lightsaber's blade where it dissipated without injury to either himself or Aila.

Stunned that his attack did not work, Sidious let up after Avarik deflected the first few bolts. "Master, we fight for the same thing. It does not have to be this way. The Jedi are my enemies as well as the Empire. I am a Sith!" Aila shivered at this remark, as Avarik continued. "I will continue the work to protect my family and the galaxy, but I'll do it with my family by my side."

Breathing heavily from the exertion of his lightning attack Sidious' voice was cold and unfeeling when he answered. "No, you won't. If you will not follow my orders, then you are not part of the Empire. My forces will take care of the remaining Jedi while you and your family will be exiled to Vjun. You are hereby stripped of your rank and title. Unless you come to beg for forgiveness, I do not want to see either of you again!"

"You need me to take on the Jedi; your troops are no match for their Force abilities." Avarik stated, unfazed by Sidious last remark. He saw it as an empty threat.

"I have no use for someone who disobeys my orders, Lord Avarik. The Empire will function without you. I just hope you are prepared for any strike by young Skywalker against you and your family, because you will receive no help from me. Now go!" Sidious extended a hand out towards a far doorway and used the Force to open it for the apprentice he just banished.

Avarik was surprised by his Master's actions. He did not think he would face exile over his defiance, but he would not back down from his decision. He would not leave Aila. His Master might be furious right now, but in time he would see how much he needed Lord Avarik as part of his military force and when that day came, he was sure Sidious would be willing to negotiate with him. However, now as he steered Aila out of the Senate building his mind was focused on getting them situated at their new home and finding a way to continue to track down Anakin Skywalker.

As she walked with Avarik out of the large hall that housed the Emperor's life day celebration, Aila could hear the snide comments from loyal Imperials, and statements of awe from those loyal to the old Republic. However, unlike Kestin, who was following behind Aila and Avarik in a state of shock and disbelief, Aila paid no attention to the comments being thrown at her, as she was too excited with her husband's actions.

Aila could care less that they were being exiled to a Force forsaken planet, because it did not matter as long as Avarik was with her. Just a few minutes ago, she had thought she had lost him for good, but tonight he had proved that their love was stronger than the dark side of the Force. It was also nice to know that in Sidious defeat tonight, he learned a simple truth: when choosing between loyalty to the dark side and the love of his wife, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, always chooses his wife.


	35. Ch 34: Vader to Vjun

**Chapter 34: Vader to Vjun**

"Leave me." The Emperor waved off his guards as he entered his Coruscant throne room. He walked towards his throne, but rather than sitting on it, he walked past it and glared outside at the nighttime sky. Traffic seemed to be flowing without any problem, illustrating the peace and order the Sith had captured in his ascension to the throne. However, if the reports he were hearing were correct, then all was not well in his Empire.

Although Lord Avarik had been banished two weeks ago to the wasteland of Vjun, the defiance that had put his young apprentice there had started a disturbing chain of events. With Avarik's departure from the Empire's ranks, a small underground resistance movement had formed and was running raids against the Empire. None of the leaders of this rebellion had been found yet, but their forces had already raided two Imperial Star Destroyers and there were reports that a small revolt was occurring on Kashyyyk, where the Imperial forces had been pushed back from the main Wookiee cities.

The Coruscant skyline did not show it, but the Force told Sidious that his Empire was facing turmoil. He had sent his forces out to snuff out the various pockets of resistance, but they seemed to multiply each day. To make matters worse, it appeared that a few of Avarik's missing Jedi had joined the Rebellion's ranks and their knowledge of the Force was facilitating their victory. Without Force abilities and the element of surprise from order 99, clones were no match for a Jedi Knight. Only a Sith Lord could fight them, and with his banishment of Lord Avarik, Sidious was all that was left and he could not leave the capital and risk the Senate passing legislation to oust him. He needed Lord Avarik back.

However, to get his apprentice back, Sidious had to concede a major defeat, and he was not prepared to do that. Aila had sparked Avarik's defiance and instigated the rebellion that threatened his control of the galaxy. He had underestimated the possessiveness Lord Avarik had towards his wife. As a Jedi, his apprentice had been separated from his wife for long periods of time and although he expected his apprentice to dislike his edict that would separate him from Aila, he had thought that Avarik would have conceded to his wishes. Sidious had thought he could remove the threat Aila was to his apprentice and to his Empire.

Now Sidious needed Aila's husband to squash the dissension spreading like a plague throughout the galaxy. His hatred of the Jedi would drive his apprentice to victory against the rebellion who was housing his former friends. However, to get Avarik back Sidious had to let him keep Aila, and that grated at the Sith's nerves. Unfortunately, the Force was showing Sidious no way around that unpleasant situation. His only victory would be the possessiveness Avarik had for his wife. That possession was a darker trait in their relationship that he may be able to use in the future. However, Sidious still did not like the idea of letting Aila, of letting love, win this battle.

* * *

Anakin sat at a table in the Alderaanian cottage he and his family called home, staring down at the message he had just prepared. It was early in the morning, and aside from himself only the droids were up and running. 

"Master Anakin, is there something you would like me to get you for breakfast?" C3P0, the protocol droid Anakin had built as a child asked.

Anakin shook his head. "No, 3P0, thank you. I'm not hungry."

"Oh." The golden droid seemed taken aback by this as he fumbled for a response. "Well, I… I…."

Anakin tore his gaze from the data pad that had been occupying his thoughts for the past week and smiled at the golden droid. "It's all right 3P0. Padmé and the children should be up soon, I am sure you can make them breakfast."

"I am already awake, Master Jedi." Padmé stated as she walked into the room, pulling her dark blue robe together as she strode to her husband and leaned down to place a light kiss on his cheek. Dragging a chair towards her, she took a seat next to her husband. "You are up early. Why didn't you wake me?"

"I was thinking. I…."

"It is about that message you have been drafting over the past week?"

Anakin grew silent, but nodded in answer to Padmé's question. He shoved the datapad away and ran a hand through his hair as he gave a resigned sigh. Sensing her husband needed to talk to her, Padmé addressed his faithful droid. "3P0, I left R2 to look after Luke and Leia. They should be waking up any moment now. Can you please go and help him with them. I'll be back there shortly."

Standing straighter now that he was being put to use C3P0 responded with enthusiasm, "Why yes, milady. I would be glad to look after Master Luke and Mistress Leia."

Padmé smiled at the droid. "Thank you 3P0. If they give you any trouble just come get me."

"I am programmed to understand humans, they will be no trouble at all, milady." C3P0 responded with a slight bow before leaving towards the twins' nursery.

Padmé could not help the smile that crossed her features and she gave a small laugh as she turned to her husband and said, "I guess he does not remember when Leia and Luke found the switch in his neck and took turns shutting him on and off."

Anakin cracked a small smile as he turned his gaze to Padmé's, but the longer he stared at her, the more serious his expression became. "Padmé, I want you to take the children and the droids and go. I do not want you here when this message is sent."

"We've discussed this before. I'm not leaving you."

"But if Obi-Wan figures this out, you know he will come here. I do not want to put you or the children in danger." Anakin's eyes pleaded with Padmé to follow his order. "You said I was reckless in forming this plan in the first place."

Padmé shook her head. "Yes, but you said we need to hear from Aila to know what is going on. She is our best source of information on Obi-Wan. Besides you said Obi-Wan would not know the name you signed it with, only she would.

"Yes, but I've been thinking…." Anakin paused before continuing. "She called me it once, so Obi-Wan might have heard it." Anakin sighed in frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair once more. "I just don't know. If Obi-Wan does know it, that message will bring him here and I can't put you or the twins in danger."

"You heard the news from Bail, when he visited last. He was at the celebration the night Obi-Wan defied the Emperor and he and Aila were banished to Vjun. That has to be a good sign?"

"Maybe…" Anakin conceded. "But, that does not mean he has forgiven me. I need to hear from Aila, but it is too risky for you and the twins. You have to leave."

Padmé brought her hands up to cup Anakin's face as she held his gaze to hers. "I know what is at risk. If you remember I argued against this plan when you first thought it up, but you are right. We need to hear from Aila and at the moment this is the only way to do that. However, despite the risk, I won't leave you."

"Padmé!" Anakin stated sharply as he brought his own hands up to her wrists, gently pulling them away from his face and shaking them to emphasize his point. "You have to go. I could not bear to lose you."

"And you would have me lose you?" Padmé scoffed in reply.

"But the children…." Anakin protested.

"Our children are strong in the Force, like their father. I am sure if Obi-Wan came here to kill you he would find a way to use the Force to track them down. I worry each day when they use the Force that they will reveal our hiding place to the Empire. You know I would do all I can to protect them, but I cannot use the Force like you."

Anakin was silent for a moment while he contemplated this and then pulled his discarded datapad and read through the message one more time. "Then perhaps the risk is too great and I should not send this message." He moved his hand to press a button to delete the message, but sensing her husband's actions, Padmé was first to act and reached over to press the button to send the message.

"Lord Vader, citizen of the Empire, has sent his message to Lady Avarik and now we must wait for a response. We've talked about this enough. We have to take this chance for the Jedi, the Republic, but most importantly, our children and their future. And if Obi-Wan comes, then we will face that risk together." The protest that was forming on Anakin's lips was silenced as Padmé leaned forward and kissed it away. This argument would continue throughout the day, but Padmé had made her decision and would not change her mind. Deep in her heart she was concerned for the safety of her husband and children, but after much thought she was determined that no matter what the galaxy threw at them, they would face it together, as a family.


	36. Ch 35: Aila's Messages

**Chapter 35: Aila's Messages**

Lord Avarik walked into what was now his and Aila's sitting room at their new home in Vjun and found his wife sitting in a large armchair. "I sent Kestin to do a background check on the contractors I've selected for the construction of our new home. If all goes well, the main portion of the castle should be finished before our son arrives." He stated before noticing Aila was frowning down at the screen of a datapad in her hands. "What are you reading?" He asked as he sat down on the armrest and glanced over her shoulder at the datapad.

Aila wrinkled her nose. "It is another letter from someone at the Emperor's Life Day celebration who says it was a pleasure to meet me and they wanted to invite the two of us to their home. I know I never met Senator Ister Paddie, so I don't know what he and the rest of these people are playing at."

"They are Senators. They are just looking for ways to bolster their position in the Empire. I am sure they've sent similar notes to the Emperor." Avarik responded, and noticing that Aila back tensed a bit at the mention of his Master's name he slowly started massaging her shoulders.

Aila's brow furrowed in confusion as she took in her husband's explanation. "But why would they send me a message if we've been banished? That makes no sense."

"We've been temporarily banished, my goddess. The Senators are just trying to get in our good graces so that when the Emperor reinstates me they may have some influence."

"Well, I've been declining every invitation."

"Which is what I would expect you to do." Avarik answered, scooping Aila up so that he could slide into the armchair and hold her in his arms.

"Well I am glad we finally agree on something." Aila responded playfully as she placed a light kiss to her husband's lips. She would have been content to end the kiss there and just rest in his protective embrace, but Avarik had other ideas. Tangling the fingers of his good hand in her hair, Avarik tilted Aila's head a bit so his lips could slant over hers. A content rumble sounded in his chest as he whispered over their Force bond. "I think you will also agree that I love you more than any thing, power, or person in the galaxy."

Aila momentarily pulled her lips away to voice a response, but the "I love you, too," she wanted to gift him, caught in her throat as Avarik began trailing teasing kisses down the sensitive column of her neck. As the whiskers of his beard tickled against her collarbone, Aila's own fingers snapped into her husband's hair, drawing his mouth back to hers. Caught up in the moment, Avarik and Aila barely heard the footsteps of the person approaching the sitting room, and almost failed to pull away as the person entered the room.

"Milord… um… I'm sorry, I will just…." Kestin muttered, a hint of pink coloring her cheeks as she caught a brief glimpse of what she had interrupted as Aila and Avarik pulled apart from each other. Aila's lips were slightly swollen from her husband's attention and Lord Avarik hair was a bit out of place from Aila running her fingers through it. Realizing what she was interrupting, Kestin tried to back out of the room unnoticed.

"It's all right Kestin." Avarik flashed Aila a roguish smile, silently telling her he intended to finish what they had started, before turning towards her faithful handmaiden. "What is it that you need?"

"Nothing milord, I just came to bring you my report on the contractors you requested. Two are tied to the Hutts, so I recommend we cross them off the list, but your top two picks appear to be clean. I will leave the report in your office for you to review later."

"No, send a message to the two contractors at the top of the list and tell them to submit designs for the new castle. Then, schedule time with them in two to three days so that Aila and I can go over the designs with them and make our final decision." Avarik answered as Kestin bowed her head to signal that the instructions were understood and would be completed.

"What designs?" Aila asked in confusion.

"The designs for our new home. I do not like this place and I know you do not either." Avarik waved his hand in the air gesturing around the room before turning back towards Kestin. "Once you have finished that, you are dismissed for the night."

"As you wish milord." Kestin nodded. "If you need me, just call me." The handmaiden then turned on her heel and left the Sith Lord and his wife alone.

When she was certain her handmaiden was out of earshot, Aila commented. "She is not happy about being banished. I told her she did not have to stay on as my handmaiden, but she would not hear it."

Avarik shrugged, "It shows where her loyalty is. I told her she could leave as well, but she seemed determined to stay."

"She does not agree with my opinion of the Emperor."

"Nor do I, my goddess." Avarik sighed as he leaned back in his seat and drew Aila towards him so she was resting against his chest. His fingers tangled in her hair as he absentmindedly brushed his fingers through the silky strands.

"I wish you would…." Aila whispered as she snuggled against her husband.

"Does Kestin upset you? I will send her away and find you a new handmaiden if that is what you desire." Avarik murmured, ignoring Aila's previous comment.

"No, she's fine. The two of us might disagree on certain things, but she's friendly enough and quite capable in her job. I just don't know if she is happy with this arrangement. She's been fairly quiet around me since the Emperor's life day celebration. I suspect she is angry about being banished."

Avarik was quiet for a moment and closed his eyes as if he was falling asleep, but an instant later Aila could hear his voice rumble within his chest. "I do not sense that. She seems confused, probably because regardless of the banishment, my Master's edict directly affects her. After all, before she was your handmaiden, she was a member of the Imperial Army."

"Perhaps, maybe she will open up more in time." Aila shrugged her shoulders and then shifted restlessly in her husband's arms as muscles in her lower back started to ache. As she moved, she unconsciously laid a hand on her abdomen and gasped as she felt a movement beneath her palm. In shock she took her hand away as she tried to figure out what had just happened.

"What is it? Are you all right?" Avarik asked with concern, raising his head so he was looking at his wife.

Aila was silent as she felt another movement in her abdomen and replaced her hand back over the source of the movement and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Aila?" Avarik repeated his question with a bit of urgency when she gave him no answer to his previous question. "What's wrong?"

Aila continued to smile and reached for the hand Avarik had tangled in her hair and pressed it to the slight swell of her abdomen. Underneath Avarik's fingertips, he could feel the familiar ripple in the Force that was his son.

"Aila, wh…." Avarik's question was cut off as he felt a small bump against his palm that was physical rather than in the Force.

Aila gave a small laugh as she replied, "Your son has learned how to kick."

As another small bump hit Avarik's hand, he smiled at his wife and used his other hand to tilt her chin up so he could plant a light kiss to her lips. He chuckled lightly as he said, "I guess I do not need the Force to tell me he is there."

"No, and before long he will be here." Aila supplied in answer twining her fingers with the one her husband held against her abdomen.

"Which is why I want construction on the castle to begin now. I do not think it can be finished before the baby's arrival, but I want the main living area finished."

"But why a castle? We don't really need that. This house has more than enough space for us."

"You were unhappy with the house when we first moved here, I could sense it."

Aila shook her head. "I was not unhappy, the house just seemed a bit creepy to me. But as long as you are here, it is fine. It was just that the house was new." It was true that Aila had been reluctant about the chateau when they first arrived on Vjun. They had been sent to the house by Sidious and as such she thought she could feel something sinister and dark lurking within the house. Vjun's climate of acidic rain, which forced them to remain indoors, further added to the sense of foreboding. However, in the week since their arrival she had got over these initial concerns as nothing had happened to warrant maintaining her fears.

"I do not care; I want a home that is ours. This one used to belong to someone else. And only a castle will do to house our growing family." Avarik replied.

"But…."

Avarik spoke over Aila to stop her protest. "No, my goddess. I have made my decision; I want to move out of here as soon as we can."

Aila sighed in frustration, muttering, "Stubborn."

Avarik smiled and gave Aila another light kiss. "As are you, my goddess. But I want a permanent residence that is well guarded for when we are away. After all, our banishment will not last forever, and we will return to my Star Destroyer. The castle will be more like a vacation home and refuge for us."

Aila shifted in discomfort once more, but not due to the movement of her unborn child. Now her unease was cased by the idea of her husband returning to the service of the Emperor. "Personally, I would prefer to stay banished." She would even be willing to indulge her husband in his need to build this castle of his if it meant they could stay away from Sidious.

"You do not have to be concerned about us being parted. The Emperor knows my terms for coming back, so we'll be together my goddess, do not worry."

Scoffing at her husband's misinterpretation of her concerns, Aila gave voice to them to clear up the error. "It is the Emperor that I am worried about. You do not need him, Obi-Wan. Why can't you see that?"

Avarik sighed. "And why must you always judge events based on the holovid…" As Avarik spoke the datapad Aila had been reading earlier chimed that another message from a member of the Empire had come in for her perusal. However, sometime during their conversation, the small datapad had slipped out of her hands and moved out of sight. As a result, the chiming continued to sound as the datapad waited to have the message read or to be turned off altogether.

As the beeping continued, both Avarik and Aila started searching for the missing datapad. Aila leaned forward and checked the floor to see if it was discarded there, while Avarik was checking the seat cushions. "Why must they keep contacting us?" Aila did not hide her frustration as she spotted a corner of the datapad underneath the chair Avarik and her were sitting upon.

Aila leaned over and picked up the data pad before settling back against her husband. As she was getting herself settled, she pressed the button that would turn off the incoming message alert and display the sender's name. Behind her Avarik half glanced at the datapad. "Who is it now?"

However, despite their previous passing interest, the name that flashed on the screen of the incoming message caught both Aila's and Avarik's eyes. "Vader? I don't know of any senators with that name, but I know I've heard that name somewhere." Avarik commented out loud.

Avarik's thoughts were interrupted as he searched his mind for the identity of the name that showed up on the datapad. However, no search was needed, because Aila involuntarily gasped at the sight of the sender's name. Before Aila could do anything to block her own thoughts an image of a masked Sith Lord cloaked in black popped into her head and leaked over her Force bond to her husband. It might have been several years since Avarik had seen that image, but it was a picture burned into his mind and one he would never forget.

"Anakin!" Avarik growled, as he remembered hearing the name of Vader bestowed to his former padawan in the holovid he and Aila watched all those years ago. It was not a name he would have recalled had it not been for that masked visage that had flooded Aila's memories. He had prevented Anakin from reaching the fate of being trapped under that armor and it was something Avarik regretted each day. However, now he had no intention of injuring Anakin and gifting him with that fate, now he wanted to kill him. Knowing victory would finally be his, Avarik's eyes turned amber as he snatched the datapad from Aila's fingers and read Vader's message.


	37. Ch 36: Master v Padawan, Husband v Wife

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay everyone, but this was a longer chapter and it took a while to write. I also had a bit of writer's block (note I started a new story and that seems to be helping). To help keep everyone updated on the posting schedule since it tends to be a bit haphazard for all of my stories, I updated my profile page with a story status note. If something is going on to delay posts, I'll try to post it there to keep everyone informed. Thanks for reading everyone.

* * *

**Chapter 36: Master vs. Padawan, Husband vs. Wife**

"No, Obi-Wan, please!" Aila pleaded, reaching for the datapad that had been snatched from her.

"He's on Alderaan!" Avarik shouted, having ignored the letters contents and searched for the sender's coordinates. Intent on reaching his former padawan before Anakin had time to flee; Avarik dropped the datapad to the floor, shifted Aila out of his arms, and moved towards the small landing bay in the back of the chateau that held his starfighter and a small transport shuttle.

"Obi-Wan! Stop! What are you going to do?" Aila raced after her husband terrified for what she had accidentally revealed. She knew Anakin must have been trying to find a way to reach her and had not realized that Obi-Wan had heard the name Lord Vader before.

"I'll do what I should have done on Mustafar, I will kill him!" Avarik did not look back at Aila, but kept moving towards his ship.

"No! Please, this is not his fault. He has done nothing."

"He is a Jedi! He tried to kill you! He will pay!"

"No!" Aila rushed towards her husband and grabbed at his arm, trying to stop him. "Please, don't do this!"

"I must!" Avarik stated vehemently as he wrenched free of her grasp and moved more quickly away from his wife.

"Obi-Wan!" Aila shouted out loud and over their Force bond as she tried to keep up with him, but he seemed to be using the Force to evade her. "Listen to me. Anakin is not your enemy, nor is any other Jedi. The Emperor has twisted what actually happened. He is your enemy!"

"You are blinded by that holovid, my goddess." Avarik sternly answered over their bond as the door to the landing bay closed and he locked it behind himself.

"And you learned nothing from it!" Aila shouted back as she pounded her fist against the locked door upon reaching it.

"I am sorry this upsets you, my goddess, but it must be done." Avarik answered over their bond as he called an astromech droid over to join him on his trip. While the little droid situated itself in his starfighter, Avarik fired up the engines, not wanting to waste a second in reaching the Jedi that had eluded him these past few months.

"Obi-Wan!" Aila protested. "Do not do this, open this door!"

"No, my goddess. You will be safe there. We will talk when I return." Aila continued to shout at him to stop as he left the landing bay and flew his starfighter into the acid rain that was a constant part of Vjun's weather. However, Avarik took no notice of it, or Aila's protests. His mind was focused on one thing, revenge. Anakin had hidden Aila from him and the evidence showed he had tried to kill her over the past few months. Now his former padawan would learn how it felt to lose a loved one, for all Skywalkers would pay for Anakin's crimes.

* * *

As the door remained locked, barring her from reaching her husband and his departing ship, Aila knew she had to do something because he had stubbornly set his mind on his task. "Obi-Wan, stop this right now!" She continued to shout over their Force bond as she made their way back to their bedroom.

Although Avarik could hear Aila over his Force bond, he did not respond as he contemplated the best way to destroy Anakin. No matter what Aila tried to do to plea to her husband, he stubbornly refused to answer her. However, being ignored by her husband did not top Aila. She knew she had to do something to stop him and it was this that drove her to enter her and Avarik's bedroom and begin to rummage frantically through drawers and shelves. Items crashed to the floor around her as Aila discarded them and searched for what she needed.

"Milady? What are you doing?" Kestin asked breathlessly having sprinted to her mistress's aid. The young handmaiden had heard the crashing sounds of items being haphazardly thrown to the floor, and had gone to investigate.

"I've got to find…." Aila trailed off as she opened another drawer and spilled the contents onto the floor.

"Find what, milady?" Kestin drew closer to Aila, glancing at the mix of clothes, jewelry, and various other items that lay scattered across the floor.

Without answering Kestin, Aila's hand grabbed the cylindrical hilt she had been searching for. Obi-Wan always carried his crimson bladed saber with him, never touching the cerulean bladed weapon he had used as a Jedi.

"Isn't that a lightsaber?"

"Obi-Wan's." Aila answered distractedly as she rose to her feet and ignoring Kestin, sprinted back to the sitting room to pick up the datapad her husband had discarded earlier. She keyed up Anakin's message and found where he had sent it from. She would put these same coordinates into the other ship in their hangar and follow her husband, but first she wanted to give Anakin and Padmé a chance to escape. Replying to the message, Aila's note was simple: "Run, Obi-Wan is coming!" She just hoped her two friends would receive the message before her husband and herself reached their hideaway.

"Milady? What is going on?" Kestin asked as Aila sent her urgent message back to Anakin and Padmé.

"I have to stop Obi-Wan." Aila answered before sprinting back towards the locked hangar bay, Obi-Wan's lightsaber in one hand with her datapad in the other. Upon reaching the door she twisted the hilt in her hand searching for the activation switch. As the blade came to life in her hands and cast a bluish glow upon her and her handmaiden, Aila did not hesitate and plunged the blade into the durasteel door that was blocking her from her desired destination.

Shock washed over Kestin's face as she watched her mistress press the heated blade of the lightsaber into the door. She could see the door growing red hot as the blade began to melt through it. "Milady! Stop him from what?"

"He's going to kill his best friend!" Aila half cried as she answered, struggling to move the lightsaber down the door as she attempted to speed up the melting process.

"Who?" As Kestin spoke, she reached towards Aila's hand in an attempt to stop her mistress. The handmaiden was certain that the woman was overreacting to her husband's actions. Avarik must have locked that door for a reason, and Kestin felt it was her duty to make sure Aila stayed where she was.

"Anakin."

"Skywalker?" Kestin questioned as she gently tried to pull her mistress's hand away from the lightsaber. "But milady, he is your husband's enemy. He has tried to kill you countless times."

"No!" Aila brushed away her handmaiden's hand so she could continue her work on the door which now had the upper corner melted away. "The Emperor has been lying about Anakin's involvement. The Jedi are not the enemy."

Kestin frowned at her mistress before reaching towards her once more. She kept her tone gentle as she tried to coax Aila away from disintegrating the door. "Milady, you are upset and confused. We have had peace since the Emperor took over the Republic, only the remaining Jedi have posed any threat to our way of life. Why don't you come and sit with me and we will wait for Lord Avarik to return. He would not want you to disobey his orders."

Aila's head shook slightly as she pushed all her weight against the saber in her hands, willing it to work faster as she started to come to the middle point of one side of the door. "He is not thinking clearly. I can't let him go through with this."

Kestin rolled her eyes at her mistress's stubbornness. She was beginning t o see why her and Avarik got into so many arguments. "Milady, I must insist that for your own safety you come with me. Lord Avarik knows what he is doing." Kestin was more forceful this time as she pulled Aila's hand off the lightsaber that remained ignited and embedded in the durasteel door. However, Kestin had not been prepared for Aila's resolve to complete her task. Acting on some instinct she did not know she had, Aila stomped on one of Kestin's feet, and with the woman yelping in pain behind her, Aila kicked back at the other woman's shin so she lost her balance and toppled to the floor. Kestin fell backwards against the floor and ended up hitting the back of her head hard, causing her to pass out.

Turning towards her handmaiden in horror over what she had done, Aila temporarily forgot about the melting of the doorway and knelt before her friend. "Kestin! I'm sorry, are you all right?" When there was no answer, Aila put two fingers to her handmaiden's neck. She was relieved to feel a steady pulse and the steady rise and fall of her handmaiden's chest. The groan of pain from Kestin further relieved Aila that she had not seriously hurt her handmaiden. "I am sorry I had to do that Kestin, but I have to stop my husband. Hopefully in time, you will understand why."

Kestin groaned in response, but her eyes did not open to her mistress's words. Aila felt bad that she was leaving Kestin in such a state on the floor, but it appeared the handmaiden would be all right. Kestin's injuries, if any, would heal in time, but if Aila did not reach Alderaan in time, it might be too late to save the lives of the Skywalker family.

* * *

Usually Aila had to be in danger for Avarik to fly recklessly, and in his mind, she was. Anakin had committed too many wrongs against Avarik and his beloved wife. First he had hidden her away from him and then had tried to kill her several times. However, now he could make sure that he did not harm her again. So he had pushed his ship into an aggressive course to Alderaan, trying to reach his desired location before the traitorous Jedi Master and his family had a chance to escape.

Vaguely, in the back of his mind, Avarik could sense Aila's distress over his Force bond. However, he focused his mind away from her. It did pain him to sense her sadness, but he knew he had to complete this mission. Aila just did not understand the danger she was in with Anakin still alive. Any Jedi was a threat to them, they had been since the day Avarik had brought Aila to the Jedi Temple all those years ago.

The Council had condemned their love for one another and tried all they could to split Avarik and Aila apart. Even Aila knew that, as she would often comment that what the Council tried to do was wrong. Unfortunately her opinion of the Jedi was clouded by the holovid she had watched long ago. Avarik wished she had never seen them, because she was too fixated on the Jedi being in the right although they had done everything in their power to destroy her and Avarik. Only without the Jedi could Avarik secure his wife and unborn son as he could not let his enemies roam free. One day Aila would see that Anakin had forsaken them the day he became a Jedi Master and understand why Avarik had to pursue him.

* * *

Aila sat at the controls of the Imperial theta class shuttle in the landing bay of her current home on Vjun trying to orient herself with the controls. It had been some time since she had last piloted a ship and she was trying to recall all that the crew of her Nubian cruiser had shown her. Unfortunately, she did not have time to go over an extensive review of her knowledge, so she started flipping switches to bring the ships engines online. As the controls for the shuttle were placed in different locations from her Nubian cruiser, her progress was slowed. However, eventually she got the shuttle started and the main opening of the landing bay opened.

Aila winced slightly as she pushed the shuttle out of the landing bay, her movements a bit shaky as she was not overly confident with her flying ability. There was a tense moment as she broke into the stormy weather of Vjun where she could hear a horrible sizzling sound as acid rain fell against the ships hull. She was almost too late in realizing she had forgot to initiate the ships shields to protect it from Vjun's elements, but paranoid for her safety, Avarik had required that all ships that she flew in be equipped with alarms when it detected precautions for her safety had not been met. Aila had been startled and caught off guard by the alarm and had frantically started pushing random buttons to get it to stop. Somewhere in that frenetic rush, she managed to press the button that brought the shields up to full power.

With the alarm stopped and her ship drifting further from her home and out of Vjun's caustic atmosphere, Aila sat back in her chair and gave a great sigh of relief. "This is why I hate flying." She commented to herself as she brushed aside the cold sweat that had formed on her brow at the sound of the alarm. Although she was still a bit shaken from the ordeal, she could not help the small smile that formed when she realized she was echoing Obi-Wan's usual comment about space travel.

It was the brief happy memory of her husband that pushed aside her fear and anxiety and drove Aila to grip the control of the ship with determination. She had to stop Obi-Wan. If he killed his best friend then all the good she fought for over the last few months, would be lost. Aila was not sure what she was going to do, but she knew she had to do something to stop Obi-Wan. With her resolve strengthened Aila was once again set on her task. Although Aila did not have the finesse of some pilots, including her husband, she managed to steer the ship out of Vjun's atmosphere and key up her datapad to Anakin's note so that she could input his coordinates into the ships computer for her jump into hyperspace.

* * *

Aila and Lord Avarik were not the only two people set on their task. Kestin groaned once more as she rose to her feet, holding a hand to the back of her head and trying to massage away the ache. She had risen it time to peer through the melted door to the landing bay and see her mistress's departing ship. Kestin groaned again, not in pain this time, but in frustration at Aila.

Aila was too stubborn for her own good. She was always interfering in Lord Avarik's plans and causing him trouble. Kestin was certain that the Emperor would not have exiled them had Aila not provoked him. However, the Sith's wife was set on her belief that the Emperor was evil. Kestin did not know where Aila got that idea. Since Palpatine had taken over, the galaxy had been more secure. There had been no more war and Avarik had been able to squash the pockets of resistance formed from the remaining Jedi. The fact that Lord Avarik had changed his allegiance from the Jedi to the Emperor should have been very telling and Kestin could not understand why Aila did not see it.

There had been a time when Kestin had been terrified of his Lordship. She had seen him during one of his rages after a fight with Aila. At the time she had felt sorry for her mistress, but now that she had lived with Lord and Lady Avarik for some time, she could see that Aila brought much of Avarik's anger on herself. She had heard Aila claim that she did all of this out of love, but Kestin also knew that if she was married to Avarik, she would support his lordship and do all that she could to help his cause. She would not dwell on the past like her mistress, but look to a future that was far brighter than it had been during the Clone Wars. There was nothing wrong with Aila's husband's association with the Sith. He was just showing a passion to protect the people he loved and ensuring that they lived in a more peaceful galaxy. However, his wife appeared to be ungrateful as she was on her way to defy him once more.

Kestin could not stand for this any longer. She usually did not stand between Avarik and Aila, but her mistress was pushing things too far. Lord Avarik had a job to do and did not need to worry about his wife's safety or her interference while trying to get it done. Aila might be mad at her later, but at the end of the day Kestin's loyalty was to Lord Avarik as she was prepared to do anything for the Sith Lord. Unfortunately, with Aila taking the last of the ships in the landing bay, there was no way for Kestin to go after her unless she got some help. The problem was there was only one way to get that help.

Kestin was a bit surprised at first to see that her feet had carried her to the main communications room in the Chateau Malreaux. However, her shock turned into a small smile as she realized her unconscious brain had been processing the decision she had made on her own. There was only one person who could grant her an additional ship so she could reach Lord Avarik with the necessary backup he would need to defeat Jedi Master Skywalker and perhaps if Kestin was careful she could get her employer back to full time service of the Empire.

"Yes?" A curt voice asked as an image of a stern Imperial guardsman appeared over the comm. unit. "State your name, rank, and business."

Kestin held her head high as she answered, "I am Kestin Vanís, loyal handmaiden to Lord Avarik. It is urgent that I speak to his majesty, the Emperor."

* * *

"Stop it R2, you are going to wake them." C3PO chastised his counterpart who was beeping frantically as he maneuvered towards Anakin and Padmé's bedroom. The golden droid did not know about the message Anakin had sent to Lady Kenobi as the Skywalkers found it best to keep the golden droid out of the loop of their actions. It was late in the evening, but R2D2 had received an urgent message from Lady Kenobi that he knew Anakin and Padmé needed to receive.

"I am sure this can wait until morning, now come along R2." C3PO continued with his prodding. The droid put a metallic hand on top of his domed counterpart as he tried to steer the droid away from his master's bedchamber.

R2D2 ignored the protocol droid and gave him an indignant squeal before pressing forward, moving as fast as his mechanical body could carry him.

"Why I never!" C3PO stated in outrage. He could not believe R2D2 would use such language with him and he was so stunned by it that he did not know how to answer. When he saw that the little droid was still continuing its path away from him, C3PO became even more outraged and finally found his voice. "Fine go give your message, I hope Master Anakin fries your circuits for waking him and Miss Padmé. Urgent message indeed! Who would bother sending them a message, no one but Senator Organa knows we are here. Stupid malfunctioning scrap pile." C3PO muttered as he moved towards the front of the cottage and away from the mayhem he was certain R2D2 was about to cause.

"I do not know why Master Skywalker insists on keeping him, he's too much of a bother if I do say so myself." C3PO continued to speak to himself as he scanned the small kitchen area for something Miss Padmé had forgotten to clean. When he found nothing, the golden droid moved onto the main living space to see if all of the twins' toys had been put away.

"I just do not know what could be so important…. Oh my!" C3PO exclaimed with a shout as the cottage's front door was ripped off its hinges and slammed into the wall adjacent from it. Within the doorway was a mysterious figure of a man. Just behind him, the outline of a starfighter could be seen from the faint red glow of the crimson lightsaber in the man's hand.

"3PO?" Obi-Wan's cultured accent was heard through the growl emitted from the figure at the door.

"My word. Master Kenobi?" C3PO began moving towards the cloaked figure. "Is that you? I can tell you I do not know what happened to that door, but I will see to it…." The droid was silenced in an instant as Lord Avarik entered the Skywalker home, raised his saber, and beheaded the droid.

"That is what I needed to know." Avarik stated as the droid's lifeless body fell to the floor in a heap. Now he knew he had made it to the right location and he was certain that if that annoying droid was around, so too was his former padawan.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin's shout was heard from an adjoining hallway as the young Jedi sprinted into the main sitting room, lightsaber held inactive in his right hand. Avarik could vaguely make out the sounds of Luke and Leia crying as they had been startled awake by the sound of the front door being Force shoved into the cottage.

"We meet again, my padawan." Avarik intoned with menace, shaking the hood of his cloak aside so that his enemy could see his face.

Anakin's breath caught in his throat and he took an unconscious step backwards as he saw his former mentor's bright yellow eyes. They had shown like that on Mustafar, but it was still disconcerting not to see the warmth they once held. From Aila's cryptic note that R2D2 had just provided, Anakin knew why his former friend was here, but he could not stop himself from confirming it. "Why are you here?"

Avarik's response was to laugh with a bitter coldness that made the hairs at Anakin's neck stand on end. "I think you know, my padawan." Avarik appraised Anakin's appearance. The younger man had a light brown tunic thrown over a pair of sleep pants. Having been in a rush to put it on, the tunic was open at the front. Furthermore, Anakin's feet were barefoot and his hair was tousled from sleep, which told Avarik, Anakin had just risen from bed. "I'd like to say that I am sorry for disturbing your slumber, but we both know that would be a lie." Avarik was glad he had not had time to put on his cloak before departing to Vjun; it meant he would have an advantage in movement that Anakin's haphazard dress would not allow.

"Obi-Wan please, we need to talk." Anakin shook his head, his thumb resting on the switch of his lightsaber in case he needed it. Over his Force bond, he urged Padmé to gather the children quickly and escape out the back of the cottage as he had been doing since R2D2's message.

"We have nothing to discuss. You are my enemy and I am here to destroy you for your crimes against me." Avarik slowly started moving to his right, while Anakin started moving to his left. Both warriors appraised each other as they circled around the furniture and each other.

Anakin shook his head. "Obi-Wan, please, I am your friend. I always have been. Let's talk about this." Anakin found it a bit unreal that "The Hero Without Fear" was trying to negotiate with "The Negotiator".

"About what?" Avarik snarled. "About how you kidnapped Aila or how you tried to kill her?"

"I have never tried to kill Aila and I did not kidnap her, I hid her away." Anakin answered as he tightened his grip on his lightsaber, he still had not ignited it as he was sure that would encourage Avarik to strike at him. If nothing else was accomplished by this back and forth exchange with his former mentor he hoped it gave Padmé time to escape with the children.

"From me!" Avarik shouted.

"From Sidious." Anakin corrected. "You could not protect her after Mustafar. Your injuries were too severe and you told me to see to her safety. I figured she would be safer on her home planet until you were strong enough to find her. I was sure Sidious would not look for her there."

"Lies! You were hiding her from me. You are just like the rest of the Jedi, trying to keep us apart!"

Anakin sighed and shook his head sadly. "Obi-Wan, you know…."

"That name no longer has any meaning to me Jedi." Avarik growled out. "I am Lord Avarik, Dark Lord of the Sith."

Again Anakin shook his head. "You are my friend and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. Husband to Aila Kenobi and soon to be father of…."

"The son you tried to have killed." Tired of the chatter, Avarik lunged at Anakin, who ignited his cerulean blade in time to block the attack from Avarik's crimson one. Eerie shadows filled the sitting room from the beams of red and blue light in the center of the room.

"Son?" Anakin asked, as he took a step back to better position himself. He was caught off guard by Avarik's comment. "I thought…."

"Anakin, no!" A shout from a voice Anakin had not heard from in years sounded in his head.

"Listen, to Master Jinn, you will." Another familiar voice, one that was more current sounded in his head as well.

"Qui-Gon! Yoda!" Anakin took a few steps back as if he had been slapped, allowing Avarik an opportunity to strike at him. Moving at an unnatural speed, Avarik lunged towards Anakin's left side.

"I hate to break it to you, my padawan, but Qui-Gon died just after I vowed to train you. A mistake I regret making." Avarik vehemently spat as Anakin barely blocked his attack. He then swung low at his padawan's feet in an attempt to succeed there. "And after I am finished with you and your family, I will be sure to find Master Yoda and see that he shares the same fate."

At the threat to his family, Anakin instincts kicked in and he leaped over Avarik's lightsaber and rolled catlike to his left, rising to his feet in time to lunge towards Avarik. "You will not win, Obi-Wan."

"On the contrary, I trained you and I know your fighting technique. You might be the Jedi Master, but that just proves where your loyalties lie." Despite Avarik's confidence in his abilities he was forced back by Anakin who was moving the blade of his saber with a precision born from years of training.

"You have let your Master twist your mind! He is the one who is your enemy. He has tried to kill Aila and I am sure he will try to do it again."

"Liar! It was the Jedi who plotted to kill her and it was the Jedi who tried to separate us."

Anakin growled in frustration. "The Council never tried to kill her. Yes, they tried to separate you two, but you know I was not part of that. How could I be when I have Padmé?" Anakin lunged left at Avarik, but missed as the Sith feigned moving left, but shifted his body to the right instead.

"They accepted you and Padmé because you were their "Chosen One," they would never accept me, which is why you turned against me when they made you a Master." Avarik spun to his left and right, blocking two blows from Anakin who was trying to catch Avarik off guard to disarm him.

"You know I tried to decline becoming a Master, but you would not let me!" Anakin kicked out at Avarik, nearly catching the Sith's shin, but the Sith extended his left hand, the hand Anakin had not taken in their last attack and pointed it at the Jedi Master. His fury granted him powers a Jedi never used, powers Anakin had only seen once and was not prepared for with Avarik. His rage induced, lightning to spring from Avarik's fingertips as he sent a small stream of it shooting at his former padawan. A female scream rang through the house at the same time of Anakin's.

"Padmé!" Anakin exclaimed through gritted teeth, trying to rise from his sprawled out portion of the floor and fight through Avarik's vicious attack.

"Her time will come, my apprentice. I know you two are Force bonded and she will feel your death echo over your bond. Pity I have to end your life first to get to her." Avarik advanced on Anakin's prone position.

Although his body was still trembling from the brief lightning attack, Anakin forced himself up into a standing position and held his lightsaber at the ready. However, with the aftershocks of the lightning still affecting him, he was not able to keep a hold of his lightsaber as Avarik used the Force to wrench it from his grasp and bring it to his own hand.

Avarik made a tsking noise in disapproval. "How many times have I told you that this weapon…" Avarik made a point of drawing Anakin's saber close to the younger man's neck. "…Is your life." Avarik crossed his crimson blade over Anakin's cerulean blade so that it formed a "v" against Anakin's neck. He then pressed the sabers downward, forcing Anakin to his knees.

Realizing it was over and there was nothing he could do, Anakin was frantically calling back to Padmé over his Force bond, pleading with her to get up, respond to him, and more importantly escape with the children.

"You should have known this day would come, my padawan." Avarik's eyes flashed menacingly. "It was only a matter of time before I found you."

"Do what you like with me, but do not hurt Padmé, Luke or Leia." Anakin stared up at his former mentor hoping he could reach the good man he once was.

Avarik scoffed at Anakin's plea. "After you and the rest of the Jedi tried to destroy my family? You shall pay for your crimes against Aila, Jedi!" He spat the term out before adding. "As will your family." Avarik raised his arms, prepared to scissor Anakin's head off, but before he could move the blades a sharp female voice sounded from the doorway.

"No, Obi-Wan!" Aila was breathing heavily, having been frightened from her rather rough landing and then sprinting from her ship to stop her husband. Aila's rather abrupt landing outside had not been heard over the battle between her husband and his friend.

"Aila!" Avarik shouted some of the yellow in his eyes automatically receding at the sound of her voice. "How did you get here?"

"We have two shuttles. You cannot do this."

"How did you get through the door, I locked it. And where is Kestin?" At Avarik's feet, Anakin did not listen to the exchange between husband and wife as he was still trying to get a response from Padmé. It seemed like she had been knocked out by the Force lightning attack he had sustained and he was not sure where she had been in relation to preparing the children for escape. In the background he could hear Luke and Leia's cries and he wanted to rush to them, but he was stuck where he was.

"I used your Jedi lightsaber to melt through the door, and I left Kestin unconscious on the floor." Aila walked over towards Avarik and when she saw him turn his head to her slightly and quirk an eyebrow, she added. "She tried to stop me and I had to knock her out to get here in time. You cannot do this, Obi-Wan."

Avarik cursed under his breath before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "We will discuss this later." Avarik intoned even though the muscles in his back tensed as Aila rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Anakin is your friend."

"No, he's not. He tried to kill you!"

"No, I…." Anakin started to protest, but silenced himself as Avarik's arms twitched slightly.

"No! Obi-Wan! Listen to me."

"No, you listen. This is not up for debate. The Jedi are our enemies and you may not like it, but this will happen. Now go wait by your ship, I do not want you in here." As if to emphasize his resolve Avarik turned his eyes from Aila and towards Anakin where they were returning to the sickly yellow color they had been before Aila entered the room.

Aila did not falter in her resolve. "I will not leave. You cannot do this. How can you tear apart your friend's family when you are always worried about your own?"

"He asked for it. Now I will say it for the last time, Aila. Leave here."

"No." Aila answered back in defiance.

Avarik's breathing accelerated in his anger, but he would not be deterred. "So be it." Then in disregard of Aila's request he started to move the two sabers in his hands.

Aila had not planned what she was going to say, but the moment they left her mouth she knew they would work. One simple sentence ensured Anakin did not meet the same fate as Count Dooku: "If you love me, you will not kill him."


	38. Ch 37: Battle of the Wills

**A/N:** To Everyone, I literally destoryed my computer while writing this. The "K" key on my keyboard fell off, and it has other issues as well (it is pretty much dead). I actually went and bought a new one, but in the mean time I had started work on this chapter. I decided that I could actually cut this chapter short given what is going to happen next. It also gives me a chance to post something for you all while I await my new computer, and baby this one so I don't lose all my fan fiction files. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 37: Battle of the Wills**

Although Avarik's arms did not move, there was a tension in his shoulders that showed how close he was to completing his deadly attack. Aila could feel Avarik's muscles spasm with unleashed power under the hand she had settled on his shoulder. However, the yellow menace that had glazed the Sith's eyes seemed to recede as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Although Anakin was still in a precarious position with two lightsabers burning hotly at his neck, as he looked into his aggressor's eyes he was relieved to see some of their natural blue-green color.

"Aila…. You do not…" Avarik struggled to keep his voice even as he continued to hold the two ignited sabers at the ready. However, as more time passed from Aila's ultimatum, his hands began to shake as if her words had sparked some internal battle within himself that was disrupting his determined hatred for his captive.

"Your wife is confused, my apprentice. Do not doubt what you know is right." Sidious' voice echoed through Obi-Wan's mind, the elder Sith speaking through the Force from his Coruscant throne room, egging his apprentice onward. The Sith had other plans for Skywalker if he was not killed, but for the time being it was more important to test Aila's influence on her husband. If Avarik proceeded with his plan of attack and killed Skywalker, then the loss of the powerful Force user would be offset with the control Sidious exerted on Avarik and the future.

The Force showed that Avarik would cave in, but any influence Sidious could use to disrupt that would be a huge victory against not only Aila, but the galaxy he controlled. However, if Sidious' little experiment failed to yield results he had already sent a contingent of troops with Lieutenant Vanís. Sidious had never thought he would find use of a female, but Aila's handmaiden had pleasantly surprised him. When this ordeal was over he would have to grant her an exception to his "no woman in the military edict". If she was willing to act against her mistress, she might be a useful player in Sidious' attempts to get rid of Aila.

"Skywalker betrayed you. He does not deserve to live." Sidious voiced to Avarik trying to push his apprentice to action.

As if in answer to Sidious, Aila replied to Avarik's previous hesitation. "I know perfectly well, what I said. Obi-Wan." She put emphasis on his Jedi name to drive her point home.

"But…" Avarik faltered slightly and started to raise the lightsabers away from Anakin. In the background the sound of two crying children could be heard.

"Luke, Leia," Anakin could not stop himself from calling out to his small children as he heard their cries once more over the husband and wife stand-off that was enfolding in front of him. Padmé had yet to respond to him over their Force bond, but since he could still feel her presence in the Force, he knew she was probably all right, just unconscious.

Anakin's cry of distress to his children momentarily refocused Avarik's attention back to his former padawan and he repositioned the lightsabers at Anakin's neck. "Do it now!" Sidious' voice pressed the advantage.

Listening to his Master, Avarik gave a low growl as the Sithly amber hue began to pool once more in his eyes. "They will join you soon…"

"No!" Aila shouted as she felt her husband's growing fury over their Force bond. "You can't do this!"

"I can!" Avarik barked back, his arms starting the motion to finish his attack.

"Then the man I love is truly dead!" Aila shouted to reemphasize her earlier declaration.

There was no hesitation in Avarik's response this time. The two lightsabers in his hand deactivated and crashed to the ground with a dull thunk. "Aila, I…"

Aila flashed a husband a small smile while inwardly she was letting off a sigh of relief. She knew she was really pushing Obi-Wan and she was worried what he would do if she pushed too far and too fast. It hurt a bit that she essentially had to hang his love for her over his head to get him to concede to her wishes. It almost seemed like blackmail to her, but at the same time she did not know what else to do. "One day, you will thank me for this." She whispered softly into his ear before giving his cheek a quick peck. Keeping her gaze soft and warm on her husband to assess his ever erratic changes in mood, Aila directed her voice towards Anakin who was still kneeling before Avarik, cautiously assessing the situation.

"Anakin, where are Padmé and the twins?"

Avarik cast an irritated glance at Aila before turning back to Anakin and waiting for a response. "I suspect based on their cries that Padmé is in the nursery with them. However, I think she is unconscious, from…." Anakin trailed off, not wanting to say anything that would set Avarik off again now that Aila had reigned in his rage.

"Your Force bond." Aila completed Anakin's thought casting her husband a disgusted look because after all she and Obi-Wan had been through she know what it felt like to feel his injuries through their Force bond or vice versa. She also knew that Obi-Wan knew that too, because his desire to protect her from all things was part of what got him involved with the Sith to begin with.

"He tried to attack me as well Aila, it could have easily been you on the receiving end." Avarik kept his voice calm, but stern as he spoke to his wife.

Aila shook her head. "He was defending himself from you." Despite her irritation a bit of worry for Padmé and the twins, who could still be heard crying crossed her features. "Now, are you going to let Anakin check on his family?"

"No!" Avarik shouted, "He is dangerous, he'll only try to kill you."

Aila rolled her eyes at her husband and gave a great sigh as she spoke to Anakin. "Anakin, do you promise not to kill me or my husband if we let you go."

"Of course, milady." Anakin answered back respectfully with a hint of plea in his voice as he was getting more and more worried about Padmé and the twins. If Padmé had been holding the twins during the attack then she might have dropped one of them and his children could be hurt.

"No! I will not accept the promises of a Jedi! He lies!" Avarik barked in fury, the lightsabers on the ground twitched slightly on the floor, and drew Aila's eyes down to them. The sabers slight movements made her realize that if she kept up this argument she was risking Anakin's safety and due to their Force bond, Padmé's as well. Qui-Gon kept telling her that sometimes she had to concede one battle to win overall.

Without giving Avarik a chance to stop her, Aila knelt down and picked up the two fallen lightsabers. As she rose, Avarik held out a hand to take the sabers from her, but Aila quickly drew them behind her back. "Look, I am not going to stand here all day and let those children cry. Now, I will go and check on Padmé and the twins if you promise not to kill each other while I am away?" She made a point of focusing her gaze on Avarik as she spoke.

"I don't want you to go." Avarik murmured in reply.

"I know, but despite what you think, these are our friends, and I intend to see that they are taken care of." Aila ignored Avarik's attempted reply as she walked towards the back of the small cottage to check on her friends.


	39. Ch 38: Fighting the Irrational Mind

**Chapter 38: Fighting the Irrational Mind**

The sound of Luke and Leia's cries drove Aila to quicken her pace down the hallway of the Skywalker's Alderaani cottage. Her heart constricted with fear that Padmé and the children could be seriously hurt, but at the same time she burned with anger at her husband for putting their friends in this position. It frustrated her that he could let the dark side of the Force make him so irrational. She wanted to cut off her Force bond to him in retaliation to show how angry she was with him, but she could hear Qui-Gon's voice echoing in her head that an act of vengeance such as that would do nothing to win back her husband's soul from the darkness. Additionally, although she currently held Avarik's and Anakin's lightsabers in her possession she knew the lack of the deadly weapon would not stop Avarik from acting on his anger. With that in mind, Aila was careful to pay attention to what was going on over her Force bond, to try to judge her husband's ever erratic changes in mood.

"Padmé!" Aila stated with a gasp as she spotted her friend sprawled on the floor next to her children's cribs. Beside her R2D2 was trying to lend support to his fallen mistress, while trying to calm down her two children. Padmé did not look like she was in bad shape and was pushing herself up on muscles that felt weakened from having to live through the Force lightning attack Avarik had unleashed on her husband. With each passing moment she seemed to regain more and more of her composure and was intent on finding out the well being of her family.

"Aila!" Padmé's eyes lit up with relief at the sight of her friend. "Is Anakin all right?"

"Yes, but we need to hurry, I do not know what Obi-Wan will do if we do not return quickly. I had to take both his and Anakin's lightsabers away as a precaution." Aila stated as she held a hand out to Padmé to help her up into a standing position. As she rose to her feet, Padmé cast a swift glance back at her crying children who immediately grew quiet once they saw their mother's face.

Once she knew her children were all right Padmé cast a frown back at Aila. "Are things really that bad, with Obi-Wan?"

With a sigh Aila answered with a simple, "Yes."

"I'm so sorry; I cannot imagine how hard it is. I would probably die if the same thing happened to Anakin."

Aila shuttered with the memory of what happened in Episode III of the Star Wars movies, knowing that her friend's ominous words could have come true had things not turned out differently. However, her thoughts were also making her relive the pain that Obi-Wan was the one who had fallen to darkness and she knew she had to focus her mind elsewhere if she was to stave off her despair. To clear her mind, Aila turned her attention to Luke's crib as Padmé moved to bundle Leia in her arms.

As Aila gathered up Luke, she responded to Padmé's comment about her husband. "It is hard and there are days where all I want to do is cry for all that Obi-Wan has lost, but some days I get to see a glimpse of the man he once was. Some days I get to see Obi-Wan and I just pray that one day he'll return to me for good."

"What is he going to do with us?" Padmé asked with some trepidation, wandering what was the best course of action for her and her family.

Aila shook her head. "I do not know, but I know he will not harm you, Anakin, or the children. I will not let him. This is one battle I will not let the darkness win."

"Did he really defy the Emperor? Bail said…" Padmé whispered as she walked over to Aila with Leia in her arms. She cast a glance at Luke who was squirming in the other woman's arms, making incoherent cooing sounds.

"Yes." Aila's smile brightened as she recalled that moment of victory. "Just goes to show that there is always hope…. Oh!" Aila moved a hand to her abdomen as she felt a rather strong kick from her baby.

"Are you all right?!" Padmé shifted Leia so that she was holding her daughter in her left arm while she placed a steadying right hand on Aila's shoulder. R2D2 beeped with concern as he cast a glance towards Aila.

"Yes." Aila responded with a small smile. "The baby just started kicking recently and I have not gotten used to it, yet."

"Do you need me to hold Luke?" Padmé offered and held her other arm out so that Aila could give her, her son.

"No, I got him. Besides, it looks like he's found a friend." Aila could not help but laugh at Luke, who had twisted himself in her arms so that he was staring down at her abdomen and was babbling at it as if he was conversing with Aila's unborn child. Padmé could not hide her own smile at her son's antics. Knowing that his mistress and her two small children were all right, R2D2 made a grab for a small travelling bag with the children's things. However, before he could reach it Padmé pulled it over one of her shoulders.

"I got it R2; just go on ahead of us. 3P0 will probably need your help." Padmé replied to her droid before shifting Leia in her arms one more time before following Aila out into the main living room so that they could both confront their husbands.

* * *

"Milord, orders from the Emperor." As Aila and Padmé entered the Skywalker's main living room they found half a dozen clone troopers inside and Aila's handmaiden, Kestin, handing Avarik a small datapad. The clones had their blasters pointed at Anakin. However, upon their arrival, one clone trooper repositioned their blaster so it was pointed at the two women and the astromech droid that preceded them. Without confirming the new arrival's identity, the clone fired and hit the droid that sputtered and whined before falling to the floor with a sharp thud. "R2!" Aila and Padmé shouted in horror as they used their bodies to protect the small children in their arms.

Before the clone could fire another shot, Avarik used the force to wrench the weapon from the clone's hands, growling, "Do not shoot at my wife!" The poor clone did not have a chance to apologize or explain himself before Avarik clenched his fist and the distinctive crack of neck bones could be heard before the clone tumbled to the ground in a heap. Both Aila and Padmé flinched and tried to shield the two small children from the sight as Kestin continued to speak.

"You are to be reinstated into the Imperial Navy with all your honors for the capture of Skywalker and his family. Your Star Destroyer should be coming into orbit around Alderaan as we speak to take you and your prisoners to Coruscant."

Padmé gasped and started to walk towards her husband who was kneeling at Avarik's feet. At the first sign of movement several clone troopers trained their blasters on Padmé. Sensing the danger to Padmé and to young Leia who was in her arms, both Anakin and Aila shouted, "No!" Padmé froze in place and flinched as she shielded Leia with her arms.

Anakin started to rise to his feet to protect his family, but was stopped as Avarik whirled around to face him. "Don't move, Jedi!" He barked, pointing a threatening finger at his former friend. "Kestin, bring me some Force resistant binders, now!"

"Yes, milord." Kestin responded with a bow as she turned to complete her task.

"Obi-Wan, stop. You cannot do this. Anakin and Padmé have done nothing wrong."

"They have committed treason against the Empire and more importantly, to us. They will pay for their crimes."

"No they won't, because there is no crime!" Aila shouted as she walked closer to Padmé. Both women subsequently walked towards Anakin and Aila put herself between her friends and the blasters of the clone troopers. Seeing what had happened to their comrade, all the remaining clones dropped their weapons once Aila walked into their line of fire so they would not meet the same fate.

"Aila, do not…."

"No!" Aila shouted as she handed Luke to Anakin, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared down her husband. "I will not let you do this. If you would listen to your feelings, you would know that this is wrong."

"This is not up for discussion. The Emperor has ordered that Anakin be brought to Coruscant."

"Then disobey his orders." Aila answered calmly.

"That is treason, Aila, and you know I cannot disobey my Master." As Avarik finished speaking, Kestin reentered the Skywalker's cottage holding a set of binders out to the Sith Lord.

"Milord." Kestin bowed to Avarik before handing them to him. She tried to catch the Sith's eye, but his gaze was locked on his wife's.

"You went against the Emperor's orders once, why can't you do it again?"

Except for a startled gasp from Kestin, silence met Aila's reply, but all eyes were on her. Kestin looked at her mistress as if she had sprouted bantha ears and Avarik's eyes narrowed in irritation.

"Out!" Avarik barked at the clones and at Kestin. "I want everyone out while I discuss things with my wife."

"And the prisoners?" Kestin spoke softly as she bowed to Avarik's wishes.

"Leave them to me."

"As you wish, milord." Kestin murmured as she ushered the clones out of the small cottage with her.

Once Aila, the Skywalkers, and Avarik were alone Avarik spoke with a deathly calm to his wife. "You will never speak of such treason again, Aila."

"Why not, it was the only logical thing you have done in recent history." Aila answered back coldly.

Avarik growled in frustration. "We are not having this discussion. You might want to deny it, but Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi, an enemy to the Empire and an enemy to us. His family has been harboring him which means they are guilty too."

"And if positions were reversed you know I would stay by your side as well. You cannot fault Padmé or their two children for that."

"Enough! The Skywalkers are being taken under my custody and there is nothing you can do about it." Avarik took a step towards Anakin with the intent to lock the binders around his wrists. Padmé made a move to block her husband, but Anakin stilled her having a quick conversation with her over their Force bond before handing her Luke and holding his wrists out to Avarik.

"I will go with you Obi-Wan, just please spare my family." Anakin stated as Avarik bound his wrists together.

"Nothing will save them from their fate." Avarik barked harshly.

"Do you really think so?" Aila spat out with disgust at Avarik's comment.

"Guards!" Avarik shouted out the open door and immediately the clone troopers returned to the Sith's side. "Escort Jedi Skywalker and his family to a holding cell on your ship. I will deal with them when we my Star Destroyer."

Aila glared at her husband as the two guards ushered their prisoners away. Both Anakin and Padmé gave each other a sidelong glance of concern, silently speaking over their Force bond as Avarik and Aila remained to continue their argument.

"I will not stand by and watch you do this." Aila raised her chin slightly as she spoke to emphasize her defiance.

"What are you going to do? Close off our Force bond?" Avarik threw back, certain that would be his wife's tactic.

Aila blinked in momentary surprise at her husband's statement, but then her eyes grew cold once more as she shook her head. "No, it will remain open, but only so you can feel how disappointed I am with you."

Avarik gasped as he felt Aila's anger give way to a wave of disgust over their Force bond.

Aila walked past her husband with her head held high. "If you need me, I'll be making me a place to sleep in the cell block, for I will not be sleeping with you."

"Aila!" Avarik called out in an attempt to stop her, but Aila continued to march past him and out the door. Avarik tried to follow her, but was stalled at the cottage door by Kestin.

"Milord, I am so sorry." She brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her eyes as she reported, "The prisoners have been secured and your starfighter and Lady Avarik's shuttle are ready to depart."

Avarik closed his eyes and seemed to grimace in pain as he continued to feel hurt, anger, and resentment coming from Aila over her Force bond. He hesitated slightly before he responded to the handmaiden. "Get a crew to gather the Skywalker's belongings, including their two droids and place it on my Star Destroyer. Have them bring both my starfighter and Aila's cruiser with them." Avarik answered back distractedly as he watched Aila retreat up the ramp to the troop ship that now housed the imprisoned Skywalker family. "I will be travelling with my wife."

Something flashed in Kestin's eyes, but it went unnoticed by the Sith who pushed past the handmaiden and followed his wife. Kestin watched the Sith leave and did not turn to his own private starfighter until he was out of sight. She would send a contingent of clones back later to retrieve her mistress's Nubian cruiser along with the Skywalker's belongings.

As she settled herself into the cockpit of Avarik's starfighter, her fingers gingerly caressed the controls his hands usually touched. In her mind the Sith's last words echoed, "I will be travelling with my wife." As she started the starfighter's engines she finally replied in a soft whisper. "As you wish, milord. But Force knows, I will never torment you like she does."


	40. Ch 39: The Negotiator

**Chapter 39: The Negotiator**

"Aila!" Avarik called out as he caught up with his wife on her way to the temporary detention area with the Skywalkers. His heart was pounding with an urgency to reach her. He knew he had made her unhappy and although he did not agree with her rationale, he could not bear the thought of her being disgusted with him. He needed her to see reason.

Aila ignored her husband and kept moving, following the guards whose blasters were trained on Anakin and Padmé's backs as they were escorted to the temporary detention facility aboard the shuttle. They would be transferred to the cell block on Avarik's Star Destroyer upon the shuttle's arrival. The thought of her friends locked up, infuriated her and she wanted to yell at her husband for the injustice.

"Aila, stop. Please." Avarik pleaded as he reached for his wife and wrapped an arm around her from behind. He drew her close to him, so that her back was pressed against his chest.

"Let me go, Obi-Wan." Aila's tone was clipped and biting as her irritation with her husband flowed over their Force bond.

"Never." Avarik whispered into Aila's ear, reflexively tightening his arms around her.

"I told you my decision, Obi-Wan. I will not back down on this." Aila answered back coolly, pressing against her husband's forearm in an attempt to break out of his hold.

Avarik winced as a wave of Aila's disgust washed over him. "You know I must obey my Master." He offered in answer to her statement.

In response Aila spun in her husband's arms, her hands reaching up to cup his chin to force him to look at her. "No, you don't. What about at his life day celebration? You did not obey his orders then."

"That was different, I…."

"No, it isn't!" Aila's hands dropped to her husband's shoulder which she attempted to shake to get him to see what he was missing. "You are a good person, you can't do this."

"I will not let my enemies hurt you." Avarik replied as he reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Aila's eyes.

Aila shook her head as she answered, "Anakin, Padmé, and the twins are not your enemy. They never have been and never will be. Your master just wants to get rid of them because he sees them as a threat."

Obi-Wan began to shake his head in disagreement, but Aila cut him off before he could speak. "You say you have evidence against Anakin, which I do not believe." Aila held up a hand to stall her husband's protest as she continued. "But tell me, what evidence do you have on Padmé? And… explain to me how two small infants pose a security threat to me."

Obi-Wan's lips started to move in answer, but no sound came from them. His arms that had been wrapped around Aila dropped to his sides as he stared at her dumbfounded for a moment. For her part Aila smiled smugly and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for her husband's answer.

"They…."

"They what?" Aila asked with a sharpness that did not hide her frustration. "They are too young to know what is going on around them."

"They will one day, and then they will turn against us."

Aila shook her head in disgust. "Only if you give them reason to. If positions were reversed and it was Anakin who was the Sith and not you, how would you feel if he included the baby and me in some vendetta against you."

"That is not important…"

"Yes, it is. What would you want to happen in that case? You would not want Anakin to harm your family if we were innocent."

Avarik stood his ground, crossing his arms over his chest to mimic his wife. "You would not be in danger my goddess, because for Lord Vader to exist you would not be here. Your mind is clouded by that holovid, let it go."

Aila's arms fell to her sides and her head bowed in grief as she fought back tears she did not want her husband to see. "Things would have been different if you never met me. Some days I regret that we are together, I…"

"No!" Avarik exclaimed as he pulled Aila into his arms and planted a searing kiss to her lips. "You and I were meant to be together, my goddess." He spoke over their Force bond as he poured all of his love for her into his kiss, trying to chase away Aila's dark thoughts. "I love you. I do not know what my life would have been like without you."

"You would still be a Jedi." Aila whispered on a choked sob as she broke free from her husband's kiss, tears streaming down her face as she mourned for the loss of her husband's soul.

"Not necessarily, the Jedi might have shown their true colors some other way without you around. They wanted to control my life and I would not let them." He gingerly brushed away Aila's tears, but this was hampered when she started to shake her head again.

"No, I know you would not have turned. Why… why can't you see that? Why can't you see Sidious for who he is? He's the evil one, Obi-Wan. The Jedi might have been wrong about certain things, but they weren't evil." A sob escaped Aila that choked up her words. She didn't like showing these tears to her husband, but she found she did not have the strength to fight them at the moment. She was always trying to be strong in front of him, but some days her emotions fought against her.

Avarik sighed as he and Aila once more met at the stalemate that had plagued their arguments since giving his allegiance to Sidious. "From a certain point of view." He murmured as he drew Aila back into his arms and let her bury her face in his tunic. He grimaced in pain as he tears soaked through to his skin; her unhappiness hurt him. "Shh…" He coaxed her to calm down as his fingertips absentmindedly tangled in her hair. "Please don't cry." His mind raced to think of ways to stop her tears.

Avarik's statement did not seem to help because he felt a greater feeling of grief and pain emanating from Aila. "You know I cannot release Anakin. He is a Jedi and I am a Sith. I cannot back down on this. The Emperor has summoned me to bring Anakin before him and I will do that. But…" Avarik grimaced as an idea came to him. It was not what he wanted, but if it would ease Aila's torment he was willing to make some concessions. To be honest, after their argument at the Skywalkers' former home, a part of him had expected this outcome. He had already ordered Kestin to make ready for this contingency, but it did not mean he fully approved of the idea. However, for Aila, he would do this. "Maybe you and I can negotiate on other things?" He lifted Aila's chin with his left hand so that she was staring into his eyes. Although he tried his best to hide his mechanical right hand from her he disregarded that for a moment while he brushed away her tears."

"Please do not take them to Coruscant." Aila pleaded as she gazed up at her husband.

Avarik shook his head sadly before saying, "You know I cannot promise you that. However, I intend on only taking Anakin and not Padmé and the twins. They can remain on my Star Destroyer."

"Really?" Aila asked with a bit of relief even though she was still worried about Anakin. At least Padmé and the twins would be safe.

"Yes, my goddess. I'll even build them a small apartment for them to live in if that will make you happy. They'll be under a guard, but they will not be in the cell block."

"Including Anakin?" Aila's eyes had widened in wonderment and joy at her husband's sudden change of heart. Perhaps she had finally made him see things her way. She did not like that he still deemed their friends as enemies, but any concession on his part was a step in the right direction.

It was Avarik's turn to shake his head. "Anakin is too much of a threat, he must remain in the cell block."

Aila started to protest, but Avarik pressed a finger to her lips as he added. "However, if you agree not to join them in the cell block for the evening, then I will make sure that Padmé and the twins are made comfortable."

"How can you separate Padmé from Anakin? And the twins from their father?"

"You know my reasons, now do we have a deal?" Although there was tenderness in Avarik's eyes his tone was unyielding to any further disagreement.

Aila was about to answer that she would make no such deal, but before she could she heard Qui-Gon Jinn's voice in her head. "You must concede some battles to win the war, milady. Anakin will be all right; especially if he knows his family is taken care of while he faces the Emperor."

"Aila?" Avarik prodded, not hearing his former mentor's words.

Silently Aila stared into her husband's eyes, searching for the man she once married. With his eyes their natural blue-green color she could not stop the small smile that formed on her lips as she looked up at him. Obi-Wan had his moments where he brushed aside Lord Avarik and showed himself, and this was one of them. It was by no means the situation that Aila ultimately wanted, but it was better than nothing. At least Padmé and the twins would be kept away from Sidious. With luck, perhaps she could convince her husband to release Anakin as well before they reached Coruscant.

"Do we have a deal, my goddess?" Avarik repeated once more.

It may not have been what she truly wanted, but for Aila the answer of "Yes," was easy to give when staring into the eyes of her husband, Obi-Wan Kenobi.


	41. Ch 40: Farewells

**A/N: **Good news! We have an update. It's a short one, but it's still an update. As always, I apologize for the delay, its been one thing after another with DRL. This chapter is short, but it will work better with what has to come next. I'll try not to be as slow next time with the update, but I can't promise anything with DRL (except that I will finish this story one of these days).

**

* * *

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**Chapter 40: Farewells**

The time in the cell block on the troop ship had been short for the Skywalkers' before it landed on Lord Avarik's Star Destroyer. A grim expression clouded Anakin's features as he visualized all the horrible things that could happen to his family. He was not concerned for himself, but could not bear the thought of Padmé, Luke, or Leia suffering because of Avarik's vendetta.

Anakin's mind raced through different diversionary tactics he could employ to give Padmé a chance to get herself and the twins to safety. However nothing seemed plausible under the watchful eye of his former Master. Obi-Wan knew him too well and would likely predict anything that he tried. He would have to put his trust in the Force that somehow patience would help him find a solution to this dangerous situation.

However, all of his good intentions to wait for the right moment was shoved aside as a large contingent of clone troopers opened their cell aboard the trooper vessel and escorted them from the ship. At first, Anakin assumed they would be transferred to a different cell aboard Avarik's Star Destroyer, but panic welled in him once they made it out of the troop ship and into one of the Star Destroyer's main hallways off one of the landing bays. Rather than him and his family being directed to the detention area together, he was directed to go in one direction while the clones ushered Padmé and the twins in another direction.

"No!" Padmé shouted, sensing Anakin's fear over their Force bond. Her own panic rose as she tried to push her way towards her husband, cradling her two children against her. Although the clones were not forceful with her they did stand in her way while Anakin was taken from her.

"Padmé!" Anakin shouted, on instinct he tried to call his lightsaber to his hand forgetting that the binders at his wrist negated his Force abilities and that his saber had been confiscated by Avarik. "Don't hurt her!" He barked at the clones. Then despite losing his connection to the Force, Anakin was able to kick the legs out of one of his clone captors and rush towards Padmé's. He tackled one of hers to the ground, and the clone gave a grunt as the air was knocked out of him. However, even the ease of dispatching these targets would not allow for escape.

Before Anakin could reach Padmé a sharp growl from Lord Avarik rang over the commotion in the hall as a lightsaber ignited behind Anakin. "Enough!" Anakin could see the faint reddish glow that Avarik's saber cast upon the hall. Over his Force bond he pleaded with Padmé to back away from him and the approaching Sith. "There is no escape, my former padawan. You are coming with me."

Anakin took a deep calming breath as he very slowly turned and faced his former mentor. "I'll go with you Obi-Wan, just please don't hurt my family."

"Anakin…" Padmé half sobbed out her husband's name as he gave himself to the Sith.

"Stay back, Padmé." Anakin spoke over their Force bond before addressing Avarik out loud again. "Please, Obi-Wan."

"Avarik!" The Sith corrected. "And you are in no position to negotiate, Jedi." He spat with vehemence.

"Please!" Anakin pleaded. "I'll go with you. Just do not hurt my family."

Avarik gave a derisive scoff. "You will not need to worry about them, Aila has seen to that already. Despite all you Jedi have done to us, she can't seem to see that we would be better off without all of you. It is only for her sake that your family will be spared."

"Aila…" Anakin sighed gratefully.

"Is none of your concern." Avarik barked sharply. "Now come with me, I will personally show you to your new quarters until we meet with my Master.

"No!" Padmé shouted, taking a step towards her husband.

"Padmé, go! Leave me."

"No!" She shouted though her steps had halted.

"Go! I'll be all right as long as I know you are safe. You must do this for me, and the twins." Anakin added a silent plea over their Force bond, "Please, my love. Please do this for me."

A tear fell from Padmé's cheek as she cradled her children to her. She stifled back a sob as she nodded her head. With his back turned on her Anakin could not see her acquiescence, but he could feel it over their Force bond and in her tone as she answered, "I love you."

"And I you, my Angel." Anakin answered over his Force bond.

Padmé turned on her heel to follow her contingent of clone troopers wherever they were going to lead her. Behind her she could hear the booted steps of her husband and his former mentor walking in the opposite direction. However, before they turned down another hallway she cast one last wistful glance at her husband's back and whispered aloud, "May the Force be with you."


	42. Ch 41: Secrets of the Force

**A/N: **I apologize for the delay. Writer's block was being unkind and would not allow me to finish this post, but I managed to get it finished finally. I know you all get frustrated when I do not post, so as always, thanks for your patience.

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* * *

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**Chapter 41: Secrets of the Force**

"In here Jedi!" Avarik barked as he used the Force to open the cell door that would lead to Anakin's new home.

Anakin quietly entered the cell and then turned to his former mentor. "Obi-Wan, please tell Aila thank you from me."

Avarik growled in frustration. "You don't deserve her sympathy and one day I will make her see that. But right now I won't stress her it is not good for her or my son."

"Don't you mean…?" Anakin began, but a stern voice in his head shouted a garbled warning, the binders cutting off his connection to the Force, preventing the message from coming through clear.

"Mean what?" Avarik spat.

Anakin ignored his former mentor's question as he strained to hear the message that was being shouted at him through the Force. His brow furrowed in concentration as he struggled to concentrate on the voices in the Force.

"Don't even think it Jedi." Avarik warned with a touch of menace. He drew his crimson lightsaber up to Anakin's neck, ready to strike if needed.

Anakin opened his eyes before answering his former mentor. "Obi-Wan… you know fully well that with these binders…" He raised his bound wrists to emphasize his point. "You have made it impossible for me to sustain my connection to the Force."

"Yes, but you also have the highest midichlorian count of any Jedi, which is why, if I am not mistaken you can still talk to Padmé over your Force bond. Otherwise she would have put up more of a fight earlier. I am not taking any chances with you."

Anakin could not help the roll of his eyes this statement brought. "I would probably feel Padmé regardless, just as I'm sure you would feel Aila. My relationship with my wife and your relationship with yours is stronger than any power in the Force, light or dark."

"I do not need a lecture from you, padawan. If you remember I was a Jedi far longer than you." To emphasize his point, Avarik pressed the tip of his lightsaber closer to Anakin, forcing the younger Jedi to raise his chin so he would not get singed by the blade.

"Yes, but you aren't acting like it. You always told me to stop and think about a situation. If you would do the same you could explain to me what motive I would have to hurt you or Aila?"

"I no longer try to fathom the motives of the Jedi Council. All that is important is you all turned against me when you threatened my wife."

"We did not threaten her. And you of all people should know I would never condone such activity and would have done anything to stop it."

Avarik scoffed at Anakin, "The evidence suggests otherwise."

"What evidence? Something your Master fabricated? Obi-Wan stop and think, he's…"

"Going to be pleased once I bring you to him. You will pay for your crimes against him and me." Avarik finished Anakin's statement. "Now if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

"Obi-Wan, you can take me to the Sith, but punishing me will not show you the truth." Anakin had more he wanted to say, but before he could add to his statement the door to his cell closed with a wave of Avarik's hand.

* * *

"Stand aside." Aila stated to the two guards standing before the door that led to the rooms that now housed her friend Padmé and her two small children. The two guards cast a look at each other and shifted uncomfortably before one addressed the lady Avarik.

"Milady… It would not be proper. Lord Avarik…"

"Would be very unhappy if he found out you disobeyed my orders." Aila smiled at the shudders the two clone troopers gave at her words, knowing she would get her way. However, she was upset that she had to use idle threats of her husband's anger to get her way. She knew Obi-Wan would want the exact opposite of what the clones were about to give her. However, Aila was determined not to be barred from her friend's presence. If nothing else, Obi-Wan was going to know her position on his capture of the Skywalkers and know that she would not be swayed no matter what Sidious fed to her husband's mind.

A sigh escaped both clones as their shoulders slumped in defeat. "Very well, milady."

Again Aila smiled as the clones stepped out of her way. However, again she felt guilty over the position she had put them in. Wanting to spare them her husband's rage she dismissed them to the other side of the ship. She hoped they would stay out of her husband's way and not let her gift to them go to waste. Knowing she had done all she could for the clones Aila walked into the apartment that now belonged to three of the Skywalkers.

The room was abuzz with activity. Clones were moving furniture and boxes to various parts of the small apartment with Kestin overseeing the operation. Off to the side, Padmé was wrestling pieces of C3PO's broken body from her two small children who seemed content to play a game of toss with the golden droid. Normally R2D2 may have been helping her, but he was propped against the wall, still inoperable after the blast he took on Alderaan.

"Here, let me help." Aila rushed over to Padmé and her children to help her friend. She scooped Luke up into her arms and pulled one of C3PO's arms out of the child's hands and placed it in the box that held the parts the two Skywalker children had not gotten a hold of. For a moment Luke looked ready to throw a temper tantrum over his discarded toy, but then seemed to be distracted by Aila's unborn child. The little boy started babbling at her abdomen, just as he had done on Alderaan.

"Milady!" Kestin shouted as Aila smiled down at Luke. "What are you doing? You should not be here."

"I am visiting with my friends." Aila answered back matter-of-factly.

"You should be in your own apartment. Your furniture was delivered before the Skywalkers. Lord Avarik will not approve." Kestin answered, her eyes narrowing in irritation as she mentioned the Sith Lord likely reaction.

"My husband generally does not approve of my concerns for the Skywalkers, but I will not change my mind on this. He knows that, even though he will try to sway me." Aila gave Kestin a pointed look before turning back to Padmé who had scooped up Leia into her arms. "Are you three all right?" As soon as Obi-Wan had escorted her to their apartment she had paced around their main room agitatedly until she was sure he was occupied elsewhere and she could slip out to see Padmé. She wanted to see for herself that Obi-Wan had in fact kept his word. She did not believe Obi-Wan would lie to her about this, he had seemed genuinely sincere when they made this bargain, but she still wanted proof that he had followed their bargain. She was relieved to see that he did.

Padmé was a bit frazzled by all that had taken place on Alderaan and the subsequent split from her husband and was relieved to see Aila. One friendly face in a ship full of strangers was a little reassuring. She offered a small smile to her friend as she answered. "Yes. Where is Anakin?" Although Padmé could sense her husband was all right over their Force bond, she was still concerned about him. She was fully aware that despite the treatment she and the twins were receiving from Lord Avarik, her husband was not receiving the same. She also knew that her and her children's treatment was probably thanks to Aila, but if the Sith turned on his wife, all could be lost.

Padmé gestured Aila to join her over to a couch that had just been placed in the apartment's main room in hopes taking the children away from the droids would limit their distraction. Without Anakin's help, Padmé had her work cut out for her to get those droids working again, especially since it would have to wait until her children were asleep. R2D2 was her best hope in formulating an escape plan for her family and Aila if she wanted it. Padmé would have offered that to her friend right now, but as she cast an assessing glance at the young handmaiden and clones in the room she knew that would have to wait for another day.

"Obi-Wan was taking him to the detention area." Aila answered Padmé's question with a frustrated sigh. "I tried to get him to release Anakin, but he won't listen to reason."

Kestin, bristled at her mistresses words, but bit her tongue while she directed the clones to take care of the rest of the Skywalker's furniture.

"What is going to happen to us?" Padmé asked, pressing Leia closer to her in a protective gesture.

Aila frowned as she released another sigh. "Obi-Wan promised me no harm would come to you or the twins." Reflexively her fingers came up to brush the blonde strands at Luke's forehead. The young child was completely oblivious as he continued his in depth babbling at Aila's abdomen. The sight made Aila smile despite her glum mood. "Looks like you found a friend little one." She commented before Padmé brought her back from the distraction.

"What about Anakin?"

"If I have my way, nothing will happen, but Obi-Wan is determined to take him to Coruscant. The Emperor has ordered it." Aila reached out to Padmé in a reassuring gesture when she saw her friend's face pale. "I won't let Obi-Wan take him without a fight."

"I know, but will he listen?" Padmé reached out to pull Luke from Aila's arms, needing to have her two small children in her arms to draw strength from.

Aila hands came up to her forehead as if she was fighting off a headache. "I don't know. I don't know anymore. Some days I reach him, others I don't, but I am not giving up on this."

"Milady…." Kestin could not stop herself from responding to the conversation occurring a few feet from her. The clones had finished their work and there was no longer anything to distract the handmaiden from her mistress's words. She considered offering an angry retort, but held her words back knowing angering her mistress would not help the situation or her own aims. She could not understand how Avarik could put up with this. However instead of voicing something that would get her in trouble she simply finished your statement. "Is it worth angering his lordship?"

"She thinks so." Lord Avarik offered in answer from the doorway casting a frown at Aila.

Kestin turned towards Avarik at the sound of his voice and offered a small curtsey of respect, "Milord." At the same time on the sofa Aila lifted her head from her hands and looked up at her husband while Padmé tightened her hold on her children, causing both to squirm in her arms.

Without looking away from Aila, Avarik addressed the handmaiden. "Kestin, please locate the two guards that were assigned to guard this apartment, I believe my wife dismissed them." Aila offered a petulant scowl in response while Kestin eagerly rushed to complete her orders.

"As you wish, milord," Was heard from Kestin before all who were left were Aila, Avarik, Padmé, and the twins.

"Aila, you know you should not be here." Avarik offered in gentle reprimand.

"There is no harm, spending time with our friends." Aila answered, not hiding her defiance over their Force bond.

It was Avarik's turn to sigh in frustration. "We are not having this discussion here, Aila. Come on, I am sure Padmé wants to get settled."

"I will help her." Aila stated rising from the sofa.

"Aila!" Avarik barked in warning.

Jumping slightly at Avarik's harsh tone, Padmé was quick to respond. "It's all right Aila. I can handle this on my own. Just go." Padmé's eyes silently urged Aila to heed her husband's order. She was not comfortable having the Sith near her or her children even if he used to be Anakin's mentor.

When Aila hesitated for a moment, Avarik rolled his eyes and stated, "If Padmé needs help she can ask one of the guards for it…" Although she was not happy with the situation Aila did concede defeat for now and went to her husband. He ushered her out the door and then looked pointedly at Padmé and pointed a threatening finger at her before adding, "Do not try to escape, there are more security measures in place than just a couple clones at the door." Not waiting for a response from Padmé, Avarik turned to join Aila out in the hall and allowed the door to seal behind him.


	43. Ch 42: Voices of the Force

**Chapter 42: Voices of the Force**

"And he used to call me stubborn." Anakin massaged the place where the Force binders had once been. Once his cell door had closed, the binders had fallen from his wrists, but Avarik must have had the cell outfitted with some sort of Force dampening device because he still could not fully connect to the Force though his Force bond with Padmé was still clear and strong and he could faintly feel the rest of the Force at large despite Avarik's attempt to cut him off.

Still grumbling, Anakin went to situate himself onto the ledge built along one of the walls of his cell. It was no bed, but he had slept in worst surroundings. At least the stark durasteel surfaces of his cell were clean. It might not have any comforts, but the cell was set-up similarly to the quarters he used while fighting in the Clone Wars. As Anakin reflected on his surroundings, he also seethed over Obi-Wan's completely irrational behavior. It was hard to believe that the Sith who had left him in this cell was the same man who trained him to be a Jedi Master.

"He's fallen a long way, young one." A voice echoed oddly in his cell, the words fading in and out as if from a damaged comlink.

Anakin jerked up into a sitting position and looked all over for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" He called.

There was a moment of silence before the voice answered, "It's been a while since I have talked to you, young one." Again the voice faded in and out.

Despite the problem in clearly hearing the voice, Anakin thought he recognized it. "Qui-Gon?" He asked and closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force. The Force dampening within his cell was strong, but his high midichlorian count helped counter some of it and allow him to make some connection to the Force though the connection was not strong enough to allow him to release himself from this prison. Just to obtain the connection he sought with the voice forced him to strain, but his suspicions were confirmed when he felt a distinct ripple in the Force.

"Yes, young padawan. I thought it wise to reveal myself to you after what almost transpired."

"How… How is this even possible? You've been dead for…."

"Quite some time." Qui-Gon finished for Anakin. "Dead, but not gone. I am now a part of the living Force and I have learned how to communicate from beyond."

"Yes, yes. To Master Qui-Gon, you listen." Another voice echoed throughout the Force, momentarily breaking Anakin out of his concentration.

Blinking rapidly in dazed confusion, Anakin called out, "M… Master Yoda?"

A familiar chuckle from the elder Master faded in and out of the Force as Anakin struggled to concentrate once more so he could hear the two Jedi. However, a horrible thought came to mind as he did so, "Master Yoda you aren't…?"

"Dead, no. Learned this from Master Qui-Gon, I did."

A sigh of relief escaped Anakin's lips at Master Yoda's words. It was a relief to know that another Jedi was alive, particularly a Jedi Master such as Yoda after all the turmoil of the past day. "Was it both of you who sent me that warning in the Force while I was talking to Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, young one." Qui-Gon offered in reply.

Anakin's brow was furrowed as he waited for a reply and struggled to maintain his concentration. "Why?"

"Because Obi-Wan cannot know what you almost revealed." Qui-Gon offered in reply.

"He should know already." Anakin answered

"Hiding it from him, we are." Master Yoda stated.

"Why? What harm…" Anakin began only to be cut-off by Qui-Gon Jinn.

"For the same reason you hid Aila away after Mustafar. If Obi-Wan knew the truth then so would Sidious and right now Obi-Wan does not realize what danger his Master is with that kind of information. It is safer for all involved if Obi-Wan and Sidious believe the information we have fabricated. Sidious would be less inclined to keep Aila alive if he knew the truth."

"From what I have heard, he's already tried to kill her several times." Anakin stated.

"Yes, yes." Master Yoda stated. "Takes calculated risks he does."

"But it would be worse if he knew the truth." Qui-Gon added. "Right now if he kills Aila he does so thinking he is losing a potential asset. Since Obi-Wan's recent defiance he's been less inclined to lash out at Aila hoping their child will prove to be a better, more controllable, apprentice that Obi-Wan."

Anakin raised a hand to his forehead and gently massaged away the headache that was forming from his concentration on the Force. Sweat was forming along his brow from his strain. "But they will learn the truth eventually."

"Yes, but by the will of the Force Obi-Wan will be better able to deal with the ramifications." Qui-Gon answered

Anakin scoffed at that statement, "Not likely, he won't listen to me, and he barely listens to Aila now. What if Obi-Wan lashes out when he learns the truth? That could be dangerous for everyone, including Aila."

"Love her, he does. Safe, she will be." Master Yoda supplied.

Anakin grew slightly irritated at the two Jedi he was speaking with, "I know he loves her, but he is completely irrational right now. There is no predicting what he will do. Keeping this from him could set him off onto a violent tirade when he is shocked with the truth. Have either or you even tried to talk to him?"

"Refuses to listen, he does." Master Yoda's tone was sorrowful as he gave his answer.

"Exactly! So how does keeping this secret help? One way or another Sidious is going to find out and Aila and the child will be in danger!" The emotions of the day were catching up with Anakin and he could no longer hide his frustration with the two Jedi, no matter how much he respected them. Although he understood the intention of their plan, he did not think they had considered all the possible outcomes of it. He was also miffed that they were content to stand by and let Aila be Obi-Wan's sole source of common sense while they idly waited for the Force to intervene.

"Calm yourself, young one." Qui-Gon admonished as Anakin projected his growing frustration at the current situation.

"Anger is a path to the dark side." Yoda warned.

Anakin took a deep cleansing breath in response while Qui-Gon continued. "It is a risk to hide the information from Obi-Wan, but the Force tells me this is for the best, and I will put my trust in it."

"As do I." Yoda agreed. "You should as well."

"So you all are just going to leave Aila to deal with all of this on her own." Anakin would not readily concede. As a Jedi he believed in the Force, but he also did not want to stand around waiting for it to intervene when action could be taken now. Maybe that was interfering with the 'Will of the Force,' but doing nothing seemed wrong. "Why not help Aila?"

"We have been helping Aila where we can." Qui-Gon defended.

"Not enough if Obi-Wan still will not listen to you. He defied the Sith once, did you go to him then?" Anakin persisted.

"No, thought it best to stay away. Much anger he still holds with the Jedi." Master Yoda answered.

"Justifiably so! Anakin barked. "You know I never agreed with the Council's treatment of him, but leaving him alone will not solve anything. Creating a lie does nothing to help Obi-Wan or Aila. More should be done."

"Suggest another course of action, do you?" Master Yoda asked.

"Yes!" Anakin shouted to his two fellow Jedi. "We can only concede defeat with him so much. Obi-Wan can be stubborn. Trust me, I've had to suffer his lectures many a time. However, although he may not always like what you have to say if you argue with him, he will at least hear it. I have not had a chance to talk to Aila alone, but based on my observation it seems like that is what she is trying to do. Arguing with him so at least he cannot forget where the rest of us stand."

"And sometimes she pushes him too far." Qui-Gon supplied.

"And then what? You admonish her? Tell her she is wrong for confronting her husband?" Anakin shook his head in disbelief before finishing his impassioned speech. "I would pray, that if positions were reversed, Padmé would have the sense to do the same for me."

"Her pushing could become a danger if Obi-Wan's anger is inflamed." Qui-Gon tried to defend himself again.

"But Master Yoda said it himself, Obi-Wan loves Aila and there is safety with that."

"Yes, but…." Qui-Gon started only to have Master Yoda interrupt him.

"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is."

"I do not believe Obi-Wan would intentionally hurt her, but I worry when she angers him." Qui-Gon conceded, a tone of resignation evident in his voice.

"Then do not let it all fall on her. Help her." Again Anakin shook his head, still determined not to sit back and do nothing while those he loved, Padmé, the twins, and even Aila and Obi-Wan were in danger from the manipulations of the Sith. Qui-Gon and Yoda meant well, he knew that, but Anakin was certain that a new course of action was needed. "At least have Obi-Wan hear he is being a fool from someone else besides Aila. He can directs anger at those comments to us rather than her. Try to reach out to him and if he doesn't listen try again! Otherwise he may never come back from the dark side."

"But once you start on a dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." Master Yoda stated.

"Then you condemn Obi-Wan to the Sith. He turned down that path because of the careless actions of the Jedi Council. He turned because he felt he had no other choice. I would not be surprised if I did the same thing if faced with the same situation. Obi-Wan is still in there I saw it on Mustafar. We just need to reach him, before Sidious completely destroys him."

There was a moment of silence before Qui-Gon answered. "Very wise, young one. I too wish to see Obi-Wan return from darkness and perhaps you are right that we should be taking a more active role in fighting for him. I will try to reach out to him. In the mean time get some rest because I do not think I can stop him from taking you before the Emperor."

"Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor. Strong is he, in the dark side." Master Yoda supplied in warning, before Anakin could no longer concentrate and his eyes flew open as he panted for breath. Although he was grateful to have a connection to Yoda and Qui-Gon he was furious with them for not acting more forcibly with Obi-Wan sooner. Had the two of them been giving Obi-Wan a good Force smack against his thick skull then his own family may not have been brought into this situation. However, Anakin could not hold onto his anger for too long. He was too tired from maintaining his Force connection and he also knew Obi-Wan's feelings about the Jedi Council would make Qui-Gon and Yoda concerned about dealing with him. Even he had to admit it was a risk having the two Jedi attempt to talk to him, but with all the lives at stake, Aila, her baby, Padmé, the twins, his own, and the remainder of the galaxy, waiting for Obi-Wan to suddenly realize the error of his ways did not seem to be the best course of action.


	44. Ch 43: Not Giving Up the War

**Chapter 43: Not Giving Up the War**

As Avarik turned from Padmé's door, allowing it to close behind him, he was greeted by Aila's disapproving eyes. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was not hiding her irritation with him over their Force bond. "Was that necessary?" Aila asked, referring to her husband's threat to her best friend.

"Everything is necessary when it comes to protecting you." Avarik replied reaching out to Aila's crossed arms. "You should not have left our apartment without speaking to me first."

Aila stepped out of her husband's reach. "You would have told me I could not go."

"Of course." Avarik took another step towards Aila, causing her to take another step backwards. "To protect…."

"I do not need protection from Padmé or the twins. The Skywalkers are our friends even after your scandalous treatment of them."

"Aila…" Obi-Wan let out a sigh of frustration as he managed to catch her by the forearms to stop her backpedaling.

"No!" Aila shouted, her words echoing down the hall. "You are not going to try to convince me that Anakin and Padmé are some sort of threat. And you are not going to prevent me from visiting with Padmé or Anakin."

"Your clearance to the cell block was revoked once Skywalker entered."

Aila quirked an eyebrow before throwing her head back in indignation. "How convenient, considering I was planning on joining the Skywalkers in the cell block."

"We had a bargain, my goddess." Avarik tone hinted at warning as he stared down his wife.

There was a pause for a moment before Aila took a deep breath and answered. "Yes. We agreed I would not enter the cellblock if you let Padmé and the twins out of it. And you did mention they would be under guard, but you failed to mention you were putting them under complete lock down up here." Aila uncrossed her arms and gestured behind her husband where the two clone guards and Kestin were coming around a corner. "I might have agreed to your bargain, but that does not mean I agree with you." Her own irritation growing and emanating over her Force bond, Aila took a step towards her husband and jabbed a finger into his chest as she gave him her ultimatum, "If you think I am going to stand here and watch while you destroy not only our friends' lives, but your own, you are sorely mistaken."

A gasp sounded behind Lord Avarik from Kestin as the Sith raised his own hand and sandwiched the hand that Aila was jabbing him in the chest with between that hand and his chest. "We'll discuss this inside." Avarik intoned over their Force bond, his hand gentle but firm on hers, in restrained fury.

Looking over Aila's shoulder, Avarik took one moment to address the two clones and Kestin. "Back to your posts, and Kestin, report to me as soon as we are within Coruscanti airspace." Then because he heard Aila's gasp and knew she would start her protests again, he grasped the hand he had clasped to his chest and dragged her away from the clones and Kestin so they would not witness the scene, Avarik knew would come.

* * *

**Important A/N:** Well, as some of you probably noticed I was MIA again for quite some time. I was planning on posting within a week of the last time for you all when something unexpected happened. I am not going to get into the details here.

However, as a result of said event I can no longer continue "Always in Motion: If You Love Me." I know this is going to upset and frustrate many of my loyal readers. Believe me this has upset me as well given my determination to finish this story, especially because it forced me to go back on my assurances to you all. Aila and Obi-Wan have been a part of my world since I threw them together in 2005 and I wanted to give their story an ending, but based on circumstances in the past few weeks, I won't be able to do that.

With that said, I won't be writing anymore, I might write a vignette here or there, but I'm done with the long stuff. However, I do know leaving this story hanging is not fair to those of you who have been following this story and I know it is extremely frustrating when an author does not finish a story. Therefore, I will make my outline of this story available, so at a minimum you will know how I was planning on ending this story. You will find it below.

Once again I would like to thank everyone who has supported me during this story, its predecessor, and all my other writing endeavors. And I apologize for ending this like this, but like I said this was unexpected and beyond my control.

* * *

-Aila and Obi-Wan get in a fight over her hanging out with Padmé. Obi-Wan will eventually concede to her that she can spend time with Padmé, but he wants Kestin to be with her. With one battle won Aila tries to get Obi-Wan to reconsider taking Anakin to the Emperor, but he won't budge. However, listening to Aila's logic is getting to him and he can't handle it so he flees and locks Aila in their room. (Aila thinks she'll have at least another day to argue with him, but Obi-Wan leaves to rechart their course so they reach Coruscant sooner).

-Obi-Wan returns early that night to find Aila curled up on the sofa in their apartment, she had pulled the blanket off their bed and is asleep. He picks her up and puts her in bed, curling up beside her before falling asleep.

-Qui-Gon and Yoda speak to Obi-Wan while he is sleeping. Like with Aila, Obi-Wan fights against the logic. Given his feelings against the Jedi council it is easy to ignore Yoda, but he finds it harder to ignore Qui-Gon given his respect for him. No decisions are changed and Obi-Wan is still not listening to them, but just like when he defied the Emperor concerning leaving Aila there is a sign of hope.

-Hearing Qui-Gon and Yoda causing Obi-Wan to react like he is having a nightmare wakes up Aila. She is still not happy with him, but seeing him vulnerable touches a spot in her heart and they share a tender moment. The both fall asleep again, Aila planning how she can use this moment they shared to convince him not to take Anakin to the Emperor.

-Obi-Wan slips out of bed before Aila wakes up. They have arrived at Coruscant and he is off to take Anakin to the Emperor.

-He personally takes Anakin on a shuttle, and as he had done before Anakin tries to reason with Obi-Wan. But it does not matter Anakin is taken to the Emperor.

-The Emperor gives Anakin an ultimatum that he can join them or die. Anakin refuses and is promptly tortured by the Sith. Back on Avarik's ship PAdme is screaming in pain in time with Anakin due to their Force bond, and Aila has rushed to her friend's side and is berating Obi-Wan over their own Force bond. Between that and the words from Qui-Gon the previous night, he feels bad and tries to convince the Sith to not torture Anakin, but leave him as a prisoner.

-The Emperor ignores Avarik and keeps attacking Anakin almost to death, but sensing the growing stress from Aila and fearing for the baby's safety, Avarik lights his lightsaber and block's his Master's attack getting between himself and Anakin. Anakin ends up passing out while the Emperor yells at Avarik. For a moment he almost attacks Avarik, but Obi-Wan mentions Aila and the baby. The Sith could care less about Aila, but he wants the child because he thinks he can corrupt the child and get a more powerful and more loyal apprentice than his father. So he does stop, but he is not happy about it. He has another plan as it is anyways.

-While Avarik and Aila were banished, the Emperor had begun production of a weapon to quell some of the uprisings that had sprung up after Avarik's defiance. That weapon is behind schedule and the Emperor orders Avarik to take Anakin and himself to that weapon and get it back on schedule (It's the deathstar to bridge this story to the original trilogy).

-Avarik leaves with Anakin, and then the Emperor broods. He ends up contacting Kestin privately and says things to fester the hostility she feels towards Aila concerning Obi-Wan.

-When Avarik gets to his ship, he locks up Anakin, and then head to his own apartment. Aila is not there she is next door with Padme, taking care of Luke and Leia since Padme is out of it given the attack on Anakin. She won't even talk to Avarik, she is so furious with him.

-Aila and Avarik's relationship is strained for the next few weeks with her anger, which makes Avarik feel guilty. He tries to find the words to say to her, but nothing seems to work and he tends to throw himself into his work overseeing the death star construction. Aila does eventually get to a point where she'll talk to him again, she loves him and can't stay angry with him forever. He also has allowed Padme and the twins supervised visits to see Anakin, which makes her happier.

-However, while Aila has been giving her husband the silent treatment, Kestin has been trying to comfort the Sith. She's just been talking to him, but she has deluded herself into thinking there is more to their relationship. The Emperor is not helping. He's basically polarized Kestin against Aila.

-The day Aila starts talking to Obi-Wan again is a relief to him, he'll even take the disapproval in her voice over his working on the Death Star. He even listens to her complaints that the purpose of the weapon is solely to kill innocent people. He admits to himself that he has had concerns as well, but he still is holding onto his trust of the Emperor because unlike the Jedi he has not hurt him. Qui-Gon and Yoda continue to try to reach them during the nights and this seems to be helping break his angry feelings that caused him to go to the dark side.

-Despite their arguments, the birth of baby Kenobi is fast approaching and Avarik and Aila are getting excited about that, but the Emperor can't keep things like that. He schedules a ball that Lord Avarik must attend and the Emperor has banned Aila from attending after what happened last time. He tells Avarik it is for Aila's own safety with the baby so close to arriving, but suggests he bring Kestin in Aila's place. Aila's not horribly upset by this because she does not want to be near the Emperor and she is not aware of Kestin's true feelings. She doesn't like that Avarik is going at all, but she know nothing she'll say will stop him, so she concedes defeat.

-Avarik attends the ball with Kestin, but during the ball there is an explosion from an "enemy of the Empire," (The Emperor staged it as usual). However the attack almost kills Kestin, but on instinct, Avarik saves her, not for any romantic reasons, but just in a Jedi saving an innocent kind of way, but Kestin misreads it and practically clings to him. However, Aila heard of the attack and the stress of it induces her to go into labor. Obi-Wan senses this and ditches Kestin and rushes home. Kestin is not happy when her romantic bubble is popped.

-Obi-Wan makes it back to the death star in time for the birth of his daughter. He is shocked when it was not a son as he thought. Qui-Gon was hiding the fact that the baby was a daughter to protect the child from the Emperor. The Emperor is a bit sexist in his story and was always more inclined to keep a son alive over a daughter, thinking the son would be more powerful. By protecting Obi-Wan's daughter, Qui-Gon also protected Aila from the Emperor because the Emperor was less inclined to kill either until the birth of the child. At the end though, Obi-Wan does not care and his daughter has him wrapped around her little finger. Just looking at his daughter makes some of the hatred in his heart slip. The end of this chapter would be Obi-Wan and Aila naming their daughter. Obi-Wan would name her Aurora, Aila would give her the middle name Hope (because that is what she feels watching Obi-Wan and their daughter), and to Aila's great shock, Obi-Wan gives her the last name Kenobi rather than Avarik.

-Palpatine finds out about Aurora and is furious, especially when he can feel the darkness's hold on Avarik slipping. Palpatine turns to Kestin and orders her to get rid of Aila and Aurora. To help Kestin, the Emperor orders Avarik to bring Anakin before him once more. He makes up some excuse that he has foreseen that Anakin will join them.

-Avarik leaves and once Kestin is sure he is far enough away, goes after Aila. She first enters Aila's apartment with a blaster in hand, and finds nothing, but she does find Obi-Wan's old lightsaber that Aila has kept and decides she'll use it to kill her rival. Aila and Padme were actually together chatting when Kestin barges into Padme's apartment (Luke, Leia, and Aurora are napping in another room). Kestin enters and immediately threatens both unarmed women with the lightsaber, but Aila and Padme keep her talking and explaining her actions to delay a deadly strike.

-Obi-Wan and Anakin can sense what Kestin is up to based on the warnings from the Force and their wives over their Force bond. Good news for Aila though is Kestin lets it slip that the Emperor set her on this task, which opens up Obi-Wan's eyes to reality and he realized everything Aila, Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Anakin have told him is true. Obi-Wan and Anakin rush home and no longer a prisoner Anakin is the one to reach Padme's apartment first and end Kestin's life before Kestin can strike at Aila and Padme.

-The Emperor senses this and knows all is lost unless he can get rid of the Jedi and their wives. The Clones on the death star turn on Obi-Wan and he and Anakin have to fight their way off the death star and get their families out of there.

-Anakin and Obi-Wan head to Dagobah and leave Aila, Padme, and their children in the care of Yoda. They considered remaining hidden, but they can sense the Emperor is using the death star to destroy random planets. Anakin and Obi-Wan know they must stop it. Anakin flys to stop the death star and Obi-Wan goes to face the Emperor. While he head back to Coruscant to fight the Emperor, Obi-Wan is fighting huge waves of guilt over how many lies he wrapped himself in to justify the terrible things he has done, but he is determined to set things right.

-Aila and Padme aren't about to let their husbands go alone and they actually leave Yoda with the children while they go to help their husbands. Padme follows Anakin, Aila follows Obi-Wan.

-Anakin will ultimately destroy the death star, but Padme will help him during the course of the battle along with some "rebel" forces that she called to aid them.

-Obi-Wan engages the Emperor in battle and it is a tough fight.

-Aila does come in and gets captured by the Emperor's guards and the Emperor attempts to use her as a bargaining chips to turn Obi-Wan back to the dark side. Meanwhile Aila and Obi-Wan are talking over their Force bond. Following Obi-Wan's instructions, Aila is able to escape from her captors and Obi-Wan kills them, but they are still left with the Emperor who catches both of them in a Force lightning attack. The Emperor pauses his attack long enough to complain to Aila that she ruined all his plans for not only Obi-Wan, but Anakin as well and that she should have never become entangled in this story, but he will easily remedy that problem.

- The Emperor starts another lightning attack, but it does not hit Aila or Obi-Wan. In front of Aila and Obi-Wan, the Force Ghost's of all Jedi that perished in the purge and Qui-Gon appear and form a wall to protect the couple, giving Obi-Wan the time and space he needs to destroy the Emperor.

-As the Emperor's spirit joins the Force, Obi-Wan is overwhelmed by the sight of all the Jedi he killed. He falls to his knees and apologizes profusely, knowing nothing he says can truly make up for what he has done. Aila scoots over to her husband as this goes on to comfort and support him. The members of the Jedi Council that perished in the purge and shake their heads at him explaining that they share the blame in what happened.

-That doesn't fully ease Obi-Wan's guilt, which he will live with for the rest of his life, but the fallen members of the Jedi Council urge him to rebuild the Order into one that is more open and respectful of change, emotion, and the compassion that unite all living beings. Obi-Wan won't feel he deserves this second chance, but Aila will accept it for him.

-The story will end with a sequence with Aila and Obi-Wan talking, Obi-Wan trying to say he can't do this new task, and Aila telling him yes he can. He'll concede eventually, but will ask Aila how she ever put up with him. She'll explain she knew there was always good at him, and unlike the Emperor she knew that the future was always in motion….

-Epilogue – Detailing life after the Emperor's death and the rebuilding of the Jedi Order. It will talk about Obi-Wan's guilt he continues to feel, but will also talk about how he is trying to teach the young Jedi about the mistakes of the past so that they don't repeat them and their futures can be brighter than those of their predecessors.


End file.
